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. Continue reading
he Russian deployment to Belarus is ostensibly for military exercises that are scheduled to run until February 20. But they are being deployed menacingly close the Belarusian-Ukrainian border at a time when Russia continues to concentrate more than 100,000 troops near its own border with Ukraine and in the annexed Crimean peninsula. Meanwhile, the Russian Navy is conducting live fire exercises in the Black Sea near Ukraine’s coast. Continue reading
Russian troops continue to pour into Belarus, with many taking up positions along the country’s 1000km southern border with Ukraine. Continue reading
If Russia proceeds with its threatened invasion of Ukraine, it is increasingly clear that Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s autocratic regime in neighboring Belarus will also need to be viewed as a full combatant in the war. Continue reading
From military deployments to cyber attacks, Belarus is now clearly a full participant in Russia’s escalating campaign against Ukraine. Continue reading
Russian ambassadors to Belarus haven’t exactly enjoyed a lot of job security lately and further change appears to be imminent. If confirmed, the coming appointment would underline Belarus’s growing importance in Moscow’s strategic thinking. Continue reading
Suddenly, the prospect of Russian nuclear weapons being stationed on Belarusian soil no longer seems all that far-fetched. Continue reading
As 2021 draws to a close, a new Iron Curtain appears to be descending upon Eastern Europe. Continue reading
As Russia continues to mount tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border, Vladimir Putin says he is seeking a binding commitment from the United States that Ukraine will never become a NATO member. Continue reading
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu recently invoked the NATO boogeyman as justification for closer military integration with Belarus. And that may be a sign that Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s gambit to go all in on Moscow’s conflict with the West has convinced the Kremlin to keep him around. Continue reading
