Belarus

2022 - 2 - 23

What does Belarus have to gain, and lose? (unknown)

On Tuesday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised breakaway Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states, Lukashenko urged ...

“This is a matter of money. To cement his grip on power, Lukashenko amended the constitution – and also removed the concept of “neutrality” from it – to allow deployment of Belarusian troops abroad. The main reason Lukashenko needs the crisis next to Belarus is the “full transformation” of its political scene he is finalising this Sunday, he said. As soon as they can’t use you any more, they will dump you at the junkyard of history,” said the moustachioed 67-year-old, clad in a military uniform, while addressing Belarusian top brass. “In the current situation, it is extremely beneficial for Lukashenko to talk about the war, [but he] would face a catastrophe if there is a war – or a catastrophe in case of a prompt peace settlement,” analyst Tyshkevich said. They won’t bring you any happiness.

Ukraine central bank bans payments to Russia, Belarus (unknown)

Ukraine's central bank has banned payments to entities in Russia and Belarus as well as operations involving both nations' currencies, the regulator said on ...

Belarus targeted with dozens of sanctions over Russian invasion (unknown)

The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on dozens of Belarusian individuals and entities in response to Minsk allowing the country to be a ...

We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. Reuters reported this included “columns of troops” pouring in from across the border in Belarus. “Treasury continues to disrupt Belarus’s military and financial capabilities through targeted sanctions.

Is Belarus’s Sovereignty Over? (unknown)

Belarus is instrumental in Russia's ongoing military attack on Ukraine. Developments since the 2020 rigged election in Belarus and the forthcoming changes ...

It is the international community’s task to keep Belarus on their mental maps and clearly signal their readiness for comprehensive cooperation with Belarus in the future. The creation of the Union State of Russia and Belarus in December 1999 is one such example. But for the moment it is being eroded to a worrying degree. Instead of modernization and development, they offer a future of repression, stagnation, and a return to the Soviet past. This has become especially evident now, when Russia is threatening Ukraine in the most arrogant way and using the territory of Belarus as a bridgehead without any scruples. This European country has been under the authoritarian rule of Lukashenko for the past nearly twenty-eight years. The direct answer to the question is yes. It revealed the weakness, rather than the strength, of the Lukashenko system. Russia has gained a strategic advantage by being able to operate and project power from Belarus. The country most affected by Minsk’s loss of sovereignty is, however, Ukraine. With Belarus firmly in Putin’s pocket, Ukraine is now encircled by Russian forces. For instance, more than 10 percent of Belarusian GDP has been dependent on Russian energy subsidies for years, even prior to the illegitimate election of 2020. The sovereignty of Belarus has become de facto illusory. For the Belarusian opposition it spells out the end of their democratic dreams.

Lukashenko Is Letting Putin Use Belarus to Attack Ukraine (unknown)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko that any strike on Belarusian territory would be considered an attack on ...

“I promise you that any attack against or just one step across the border into the Belarusian territory would mean that they attack Russia,” Lukashenko cited Putin as saying. “I promise you that any attack against or just one step across the border into the Belarusian territory would mean that they attack Russia,” Lukashenko cited Putin as saying. Belarusians are also going to the polls on Feb. 27 to vote in a constitutional referendum that will change the country’s concept of nuclear neutrality and open up the opportunity for Russian nuclear weapons to be housed on Belarusian soil. Speaking in Brussels on Monday, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign-policy chief, warned that Minsk would face “massive” sanctions if it aided Russia’s plans to attack Ukraine. He also added that the country is “in a process of satellization with respect to Russia.” “I’m taking on the responsibility to represent the Republic of Belarus [and its] people,” she announced at the Lithuanian Embassy in Paris. We need tough sanctions and a refusal [from Western leaders] to recognize Lukashenko and his supporters.”

U.S. sanctions Belarus over support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine (unknown)

The United States' sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine include 24 Belarusian individuals and entities over their support for Moscow's attack, ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com They target Aliaksandr Mikalaevich Zaitsau, a former Belarusian government official and a member of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko’s inner circle, the department said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Belarus provides a template for Putin in Ukraine (unknown)

The Ukraine Russia may be planning to create will need to maintain power with Alexander Lukashenko's near-totalitarian methods.

As the historian Serhii Plokhy told me this month, Ukraine cannot be both a democracy and pro-Russian. The Ukrainian population is so hostile to Moscow that any government that leaned towards friendly relations with Russia could not survive long in office were it to rely on popular consent. Yet victory on the battlefield will be just the start, if the plan is to conquer and hold on to the whole country. That will involve massive repression and purges of officials loyal to Ukraine at every level, as well as a harsh crackdown on dissent.

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