Lithuanian Coaching Belarus “Burying Lithuania” and Teaching Protesters: Sit at Home

S. Skinder, who started his career at Panevėžys “Ekranas”, has been associated with Belarus since 2004; He has played for the Minsk, Navapolack, Bobruisk, Mozyr and Gorodea clubs, and won the bronze medal of the Belarusian championship.

After completing his active career, the Lithuanian remained in Minsk. As can be seen from his last interview with the Belarusian media, living in a neighboring country is better and saferthan in Lithuania. And it does not matter at all that people are being beaten and disappearing in the streets there, that the election results are falsified, that freedom of expression is restricted.

Skinder, who will turn 40 in February, trains children in a private football school in Minsk and does not shy away from supporting the country’s leader A. Lukashenko, condemns supporters of change, does not understand the protests of athletes and firmly believes that the World Hockey Championship will be held in the Belarusian capital.

In his cynical presentation of his radical thoughts to Tribuna, the footballer explained why he took that position.

“A Lithuanian goalkeeper teaches how to live in Belarus,” said the Tribune in conversation with S. Skinder, who also highlighted a Lithuanian quote on the “Belarusian collective mentality”.

“I like Lukashenko’s reaction to the situation in Belarus: positive, with a sense of humor. If someone doesn’t like it, I don’t care – tribuna.com quotes Skinder. – I decide everything from my personal experience – I live with my family , comfortably, very well for me and everything fits.

I like the order in Minsk, sure. I even wonder how they treated me when I contracted COVID-19. An ambulance arrived, treated me. The next day a doctor came, asked, took her by the hand, took her to the office, skip the lines, not even at my outpatient clinic, did a test, prescribed a treatment and brought her home. There would be nothing like it in life in Lithuania ”.

When asked bluntly if he was not terrified of the country’s governing methods, the goalkeeper shook his head: “I am terrified by the crowd of protesting people, athletes. When they were engaged in sports themselves, everything made them happy, and when their careers ended, then they did not become unnecessary for anyone, so they add up to everything.

I am angry not because of politics but because of sports, I don’t like sport to suffer now. I also don’t like the fact that half of those athletes will lose their merits due to their attitude and actions. “

After receiving comments that people, seeing the repression and violence in the country, act in accordance with their conscience, the Lithuanian said that the protesters themselves were provoking the government’s coercive actions.

“You don’t have to go anywhere, then there will be no coercion. Why is there no violence against me? I sit at home on Sundays, I don’t fly to the city. Sure, I’m sorry for the people, I don’t think I’m in favor of violence, but sit at home, people.

I myself am afraid of the coronavirus, I myself have had pneumonia, and people go to rallies and get infected there, continued the interlocutor of the portal. – We have democracy. Why are footballers and hockey players strangled to talk, not to be cowards? They don’t speak, so everything satisfies them. Why do I support power? Because I am satisfied with everything. Why do I live in Belarus and not in Lithuania? Because I’m better here. It’s better and safer for my family here. “

According to Skinder, criticizing Lukashenko and the country’s authorities, some Belarusian athletes
behaves inappropriately.

“It just came to our attention then. If I throw an apple or an orange at the government windows, the police will handcuff me immediately. Maybe you don’t need to do that? You need to think and what are you talking about. There is a state, there are rules. Yes you wander the streets and criticize, prepare to receive on merit. It’s simple, he explained. – It is normal that there is not total freedom of expression in Belarus. With a Belarusian mentality, a bit like a collective farm, people need to be governed by stricter, otherwise it will be a disaster. I have been of this opinion since I started living here in 2006. “

The Panevėžys footballer also compared the Belarusian and Lithuanian mentality: “Lithuania is closer to Europe, it is a Lithuanian mentality closer to the European one, but it is very similar to the Belarusian one.

There is a lack of a normal manager in Lithuania. There was one, Algirdas Brazauskas, but he died. Later, Valdas Adamkus presided, but now there are no such people. And when a woman started running the country, with all that minority perspective, a catastrophe began. Lithuania loose. See what the prices are, what’s going on there. “

Does this mean that Belarusians must be strictly controlled?

“You just don’t have to allow everything to be in order in the country, so that all the gay parades and things like that don’t start there. I’m not saying that people should be beaten, but in 15 years it has become clear to me that the Belarusians should be repressed a bit. If there is a law, then you have to live according to the law. I, for my part, do not want this to happen here like in Ukraine. There, Europe was brainwashed there and started to fighting, the country lost Crimea. Now people are sitting there without work, they have nothing, “said S. Skinder.

Asked about the presidential elections in Belarus and the possible falsification of votes, expelled by independent observers, the footballer said that he had no opinion on it, and finally said that he had never voted in his life and had no intention of doing so, even in Lithuania. .

Isn’t the Lithuanian surprised by the fact that peaceful people who did not agree with such election results have been treated?

“It just came to our knowledge then. From the side, everything looked like this: elections were being held, the results were being presented, someone didn’t like them, people were going to rebel, they were somewhat appeased. I have lived in Belarus for so many years and I understand what the laws are here and how to act. If people decided to show their discontent, they understood and knew what would happen to them and made that decision, “he explained.

Skinder was not at all surprised by the fact that the Belarusian authorities used brutal force against the protesters.

“I knew it would be. I was waiting. I have lived here since 2006, I know what the laws are in Belarus and what is happening here,” he explained.

When asked if things like this could happen in Lithuania, S. Skinder did not hesitate: “Of course. It is possible everywhere. See how people beat up people in Poland, Germany, France and England. Look at what the government is doing there. No government will ever allow you to do what you can’t do. “

According to S. Skinder, one of his friends, Borisov BATE footballer Antonas Saroka, was also arrested, but the Lithuanian makes it clear that the Belarusian himself is to blame for this course of events.

“It was not an accident that he was arrested, he was trapped by his own mistake. On Sunday evening 10, he found himself on the street near the Komarovsky market, where protesters constantly gather, apparently guessing kebabs. You don’t have to go at night! Sit at home and don’t go anywhere! Although the demonstration had recently ended, there was a line waiting at the kebab and everyone was gathered. Designed to meet. I don’t go downtown on Sundays, I can’t get there by accident, “said S. Skinder.

After the journalist hinted that people in Belarus are often detained just because they put a red and white flag on their balconies, Skinder said they were to blame.

“Is it if it is not possible, if it is prohibited? Such rules. Hang it on the wall of your house and be careful. Or make a blanket of these colors. Why hang a flag on the balcony? After all, it is not forbidden to hang a swastika either, ”he said.

When asked where he got the information that this flag is banned from, S. Skinder shrugged: “I didn’t get caught up in these niceties. However, if the siloviks come home, remove these flags, arrest the people; the logical conclusion is that these flags are not allowed to hang. “

According to Skinder, there is no talk of depriving Belarus of the right to host the World Hockey Championships due to the tense situation in Belarus and the government’s crackdown.

“I am 100 percent sure that the championship will be played in Minsk, I am waiting for it. There are children who train, they can become good hockey players. If the stars come to Minsk, people will see them, they will understand what to align with, why fight. There will also be many tourists who will live in hotels, go to restaurants, buy souvenirs. That is what the country needs. Belarus is a poor country, but it will be able to earn a lot of money, he explained. – I am sure it will take Championship held. Why shouldn’t it happen? Maybe some teams won’t come, nothing terrible.

Let those who do not want to not leave, then we will have a better chance of success. I’m not a fan of hockey, maybe I won’t go to the game myself, but in this case, I think more of young hockey players and sports in general. I am thinking about what Belarus would lose if the tournament did not happen. In my opinion, it is not necessary to mix sports and politics. During the championship you need to forget about all the troubles, organize the event well, receive guests, earn money, show the children. And then, the disaffected will continue to protest, let them express their opinion ”.

And how do you forget the troubles if you can end up in jail as soon as you step off the ladder or while you’re in the store?

“I don’t know. I walk calmly, I don’t have to go back, I’m fine. I live a normal life. You should think about what photos to upload to the Internet, what to talk about. You have to think before raising a forbidden flag. Why does anyone come to my house? I do not protest, I have this power, I do not want anything to change in Belarus, “taught Belarusians to live S. Skinder, a supporter of the Lukashenko regime.

We recall that, for the sixth month in a row, Belarus has faced massive protests over the presidential elections on August 9, which have been declared the winners by Mr. Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994.

The opposition and western democracies claim that the elections were rigged and that their winner is seen as political rookie Sviatlan Cichanouskaya, who replaced her imprisoned husband in the presidential fight. The protesters are demanding the resignation of Lukashenko, the release of political prisoners and new elections.