"Both the opposition and authorities do not like their own people," Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich said in an interview with RFE/RL Belarusian Service. However, people always react when the authorities or opposition manage to formulate something precisely. "It means the point is that everyone looks for new meanings," the writer noted. Commenting on possible political changes in Belarus, Alexievich says that she would like to avoid revolutions or civil war. "I don't like all the revolutions in history. But logically, any authority built on the culture of violence ends in violence," she says. Surprisingly, the Nobel laureate has expressed support to Aliaksandr Lukashenka in today's political situation. "I don't know anyone else who can show a bigger resistance to Moscow than Lukashenka. I do not see any other strong leader apart from him. This does not mean that I support Lukashenka but our interests have coincided with his. This is sad but that's how it is," Alexievich says. She also stresses her support for a democratic state. However, she is not ready to take up the role of a political leader. "I am an intellectual and I have an understanding of what needs to be done, but I could never become a political leader because I could never sacrifice even one human life." Alexievich has called not to put all the blame on Russia for political problems in Belarus. "Both the opposition and authorities have no more strong figures left who are able to solve the issues or force the authorities to solve them. How much longer do we keep selling our geopolitical location? That's all we are doing and we are to blame for what we have," the writer notes.
