Alyaksandr Lukashenka either just made a bold and brazen power play vis-a-vis Russia or he began laying the groundwork for Moscow’s ultimate takeover of Belarus. Whatever the truth is, the stakes are enormous.
On the eve of his trip to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin last week, the Belarusian strongman released an oblique statement on the state-run Telegram channel Pul Pervovo announcing that he had made “the most principled decision of my quarter-of-a-century presidency.” Lukashenka added that the decision “will be serious” and he would “formalize” it soon.
Those remarks naturally led to speculation that some form of deeper integration between Russia and Belarus could be imminent and may even be announced during Lukashenka’s April 22 visit to the Russian capital.
That, of course, did not happen. Days after returning from his Moscow trip, Lukashenka finally revealed his big decision in remarks to reporters during a visit to areas affected by the 1986 Chornobyl disaster.
“Tell me, if there is no president tomorrow, would you guarantee everything is going to be fine? No,” he said. “I will sign a decree about how the power in Belarus will be set up. If the president is shot, the next day the Security Council will be empowered.”