By Brian Whitmore
If any doubts remained about Vladimir Putin’s intentions to restore at least part of the old Soviet empire, they should have been dispelled this week when Belarus announced that the estimated 30,000 Russian troops currently in the country would remain there indefinitely.
The Russian forces are in Belarus ostensibly for military exercises that just so happen to be conveniently taking place near the Ukrainian border and were scheduled to wrap up on February 20. Instead, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Khrenin announced that the exercises would be extended indefinitely due to “the increase in military activity near the external borders” of Russia and Belarus and because of rising tension in eastern Ukraine. Never mind that the rising tension in eastern Ukraine is being manufactured and fabricated by Russia.
The following day, on February 21, Belarusian army chief Viktor Gulevich suggested that Russian troops would remain in Belarus until NATO pulled back the relatively small number of soldiers it had deployed to Eastern Europe. Never mind that the only reason there are NATO troops in Eastern Europe is because the Baltic states, Poland, and Romania requested them as they feel threatened by Russia’s escalating aggression against Ukraine.
Gulevich’s ultimatum appeared to have the opposite effect. US President Joe Biden announced on February 22 that he was deploying additional troops to the Baltic states and as many as eight F-35 fighter jets to locations along NATO’s eastern flank.