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Watch 879 Freedom-Fighting Teddy Bears Parachute Into Belarus

Last week, 879 teddy bears descended upon the rural countryside of Belarus, each adorned with satiric pro-human rights messages like "Teddy Bears are Banned in Belarus." Pandemonium ensued: Two Swedish activists claimed responsibility, saying they'd...

Last week, 879 teddy bears descended upon the rural countryside of Belarus, each adorned with satiric pro-human rights messages like “Teddy Bears are Banned in Belarus.” Pandemonium ensued: Two Swedish activists claimed responsibility, saying they’d flown the bears in on a prop plane initially bound for Minsk. Then, a young Belarusian journalist was detained as the speculation brewed.

Now, two top generals have been fired for allowing the violation into the airspace. It’s a hell of a stunt, the irresistibly viral-friendly kind that makes headlines worldwide. And it has worked pretty spectacularly. Did you know, for example, that Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko is an authoritarian asshole who’s known in the region as “Europe’s last dictator?” You do now.

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Here’s the AP:

Thomas Mazetti and Hannah Frey, the two Swedes behind the stunt, said they wanted to show support for Belarusian human rights activists and embarrass the country's military, a pillar of Lukashenko's power. ‘Hopefully, we've made people more aware in the world and that there will be more people supporting Belarusian people,’ Frey said … ‘We flew an airplane at 50 meters, that's 150 feet, for one and a half hours inside Belarus. Of course we were aware of the risks. But it was a calculated risk and we thought we needed to take that risk ourselves — we couldn't hire anyone,’ he told The Associated Press during an interview in Berlin, where the two are currently staying. ‘But we will not do it again tomorrow, if I put it that way.’

YouTube video taken from inside the cockpit helped confirm that the flight had indeed taken place:

As did footage from the ground:

Lukashenko called the event a “provocation” but has not formally admitted that the Swedes did indeed slip hundreds of freedom-fighting teddy bears. But they obviously did. The YouTube videos have 100K+ views each, the story’s been covered everywhere from Fox News to the BBC, and, yes, the Belarusian government is no doubt deeply embarrassed. Well played, Swedes.