Natallia Eismant

Press secretary to Belarusian president
Наталля Эйсмант
Наталья ЭйсмонтBorn
Natalya Selyun

(1984-02-16) 16 February 1984 (age 40)
Minsk, Belarusian SSR, USSR
NationalityBelarusianOther namesNatalya KirsanovaAlma materBelarusian State Academy of Arts

Natallia Mikalayeŭna Eismant (Natalia Nikolayevna Eismont, née Selyun; Belarusian: Наталля Мікалаеўна Эйсмант; Russian: Наталья Николаевна Эйсмонт; born 16 February 1984) is a press secretary of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.

Early life

Her maiden name was Selyun.[1] She graduated from Minsk State Musical College and Belarusian State Academy of Arts (drama and cinema actress).[2] She worked in Belarusian Musical Theatre for some time. In 2006, she started working as a host on state-owned National TV as Natalya Kirsanava, which is believed to be a pseudonym.[2][3] She hosted several news programs.[2] While working on national TV, she met and married crime news host Ivan Eismant.[1]

Press secretary of Alexander Lukashenko

In 2014, Natallia Eismant was appointed press secretary of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.[2] Circumstances of her promotion are unknown. One source claimed that she was introduced to Lukashenko by the beauty queen Daria Shmanai, who accompanied the president.[3] Fashion designer Sasha Varlamov claimed that the sister-in-law Hanna Eismant introduced Natallia to Lukashenko.[4] In 2018, her husband Ivan Eismant was appointed the head of the National State Television and Radio Company.[1]

In office she made several controversial statements. In 2019, she advocated dictatorship, claiming it to be "Belarusian brand". She said that dictatorship is "order, discipline and absolutely normal calm life".[3] In 2020, she claimed that the lack of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic was a thoughtful measure of Lukashenko.[5] On 23 September 2020, Eismant misinformed journalists about the inauguration of Lukashenko: she told that the journalists will be "surely informed" about the inauguration, but they learned about the event from the state TV news after the inauguration was held.[6] In November 2021, she voiced a completely different version about content of a phone conversation between Alexander Lukashenko and Angela Merkel which was later disproved by the German authorities.[7]

She is considered to be one of the most influential women among the Belarusian authorities.[1] Eismant is reported to have a big impact on Lukashenko.[3] She is reported to maintain the Telegram channel of the president's press service or write to it personally.[3][8]

International sanctions

On 6 November 2020, the Council of the European Union included Natallia Eismant in the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures set out in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 765/2006. Her public statements defending Lukashenko and criticizing opposition activists and peaceful protesters were considered as "seriously undermining democracy and the rule of law in Belarus".[9] She was banned from visiting European Union and her assets in EU were frozen.[10] Eismant was also sanctioned by the United Kingdom,[11] and Canada.[12] On 24 November, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania aligned themselves with the November EU sanctions against 15 Belarusian individuals,[13] while Switzerland did the same on 11 December.[14]

On 21 June 2021, the U.S. Treasury added Eismant to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.[15]

Excerpt from the statement by the U.S. Treasury:

As Lukashenka’s press secretary, Natallia Mikalaeuna Eismant (Eismant) manages Lukashenka’s public image in the press and on social media and is known as one of his closest associates. Eismant created and pushed a narrative that labeled Belarusians protesting the fraudulent August 9, 2020, presidential election as proponents of chaos and disorder, while labeling Lukashenka as the solution to end the political chaos, portraying him as a champion of discipline and stability, and enabling the violence perpetrated against demonstrators.[16]

In 2022, Eismant was sanctioned by Japan, Ukraine and New Zealand in relation to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[17][18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Муж пресс-секретаря Лукашенко
  2. ^ a b c d Пресс-секретарь Лукашенко: Назначение неожиданное, но в нем есть какой-то смысл
  3. ^ a b c d e Dictatorship is our brand Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko owes his tenuous grasp on reality largely to his press secretary, Natalya Eismont. Here’s how she gained such influence.
  4. ^ Известный модельер Варламов признался, что поставлял в баню к Лукашенко моделей
  5. ^ Эйсмонт: «Если бы Батька сказал ввести комендантский час, и мышь не проползла бы»
  6. ^ Тайная инаугурация: как Лукашенко снова стал президентом
  7. ^ "Германия отрицает договоренности с Лукашенко по мигрантам". Deutsche Welle (in Russian). 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  8. ^ «Белсату» стала известна одна из персон анонимного телеграм-канала, близкого к главе Беларуси
  9. ^ COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2020/1648 of 6 November 2020 implementing Article 8a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in respect of Belarus
  10. ^ ЕС ввёл санкции против Александра Лукашенко и его сына
  11. ^ "Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK" (PDF). Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  12. ^ "Belarus sanctions". Government of Canada. 2020-11-06. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  13. ^ "Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures against Belarus". Council of the European Union. 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  14. ^ "Belarus: Federal Council extends scope of sanctions". Federal Council. 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  15. ^ Belarus Designations; Issuance of Belarus General License 3 and related Frequently Asked Questions - U.S. Department of Treasury, 06/21/2021
  16. ^ Treasury and International Partners Condemn Ongoing Human Rights Abuses and Erosion of Democracy in Belarus - U.S. Department of Treasury, 06/21/2021
  17. ^ "EISMONT Natalia Nikolaevna". National Agency for Prevention of Corruption.
  18. ^ "Russia Sanctions Regulations 2022". Retrieved 11 February 2023.