'Wax' Lukashenka goes viral, spurs memes

Lukashenka recently appeared in public for the first time since May 9 - on the evening of May 15, his press service and state media published pictures and even a short video of him. But the "triumphal return" of the politician did not happen: Lukashenka's strange appearance and squeaky voice only strengthened the opinion of many that he was suffering from something (for example, post-covid syndrome), and also provoked a wave of jokes.

"The Ukrainians, of course, are a certain kind of people... They will raise a dead man and make him work in the Central Command of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces," tweeted @tavarysh_b.
 

A Twitter user with the nickname @hasid_ wrote: "Lukashenka appeared in public for the first time since May 9," and attached a photo from the filming of "Swiss Army Man," in which Daniel Radcliffe plays a corpse.

Historian Aliaksandr Fridman made an interesting observation, not in jest: "People who watched the late Brezhnev and are watching Lukashenka today are experiencing déjà vu."

He was not alone in drawing parallels with Soviet leaders. "A pathetic parody and the inimitable original," wrote user @drennydread, attaching a recent photo of Lukashenka and the last photo of the gravely ill Vladimir Lenin.