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
It’s all got a feeling of deja vu.
Russia is again massing troops and moving ballistic missile systems near Ukraine’s border and is accusing Kyiv of violating the terms of a ceasefire agreement in the Donbas region. Continue reading
The thing about Russia is that it is never as strong as it appears — and it is never as weak as it appears. So how strong is Russia really? And how much policy attention should it be receiving? 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
Elements of a new Iron Curtain continue to appear along Belarus’s border with the European Union. Continue reading
With the focus of the United States largely on a rising and increasingly bellicose China — and with Russia being dismissed by many as a declining regional power — fears are mounting that the European front is not getting the attention it demands. Continue reading
On the sidelines of February 2015 Minsk peace talks seeking to establish a ceasefire in Ukraine’s Donbas region, a live microphone picked up a conversation between Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka and the then Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko. Continue reading
