Moscow, ally of the Belarusian regime, could use Belarus to launch an attack on Ukraine. A new potential forehead and a challenge for Kiev.
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The vice is tightened around Ukraine, threatened by a new potential forehead, with the risk of being encircled by the Russians. This time, the danger comes from Belarus, Moscow could use to launch an attack against her. Weakened and isolated on the international scene since its fraudulent re-election in August 2020 and the fierce repression of the protest movement, President Belarusse, Alexandre Loukachenko, finds himself more dependent than ever from Vladimir Putin, his ally, to whom he owes his political survival . A servo that the Russian president intends to take advantage of the Iron Arm that opposes it to the Americans and Europeans on Ukraine, where some 100,000 Russian troops are stationed at the borders, fearing an invasion.
Russia and Belarus announced Tuesday, January 18, the organization of “impromptus” joint military exercises, aimed at “repelling external aggression”. The maneuvers take place in two stages: the first, already in progress, involves deployments to “threatened areas”, the security of infrastructure and the protection of the airspace. The exercises themselves, baptized “Determination of the Union 2022”, will take place during the second phase, from 10 to 20 February.
Minsk justifies these maneuvers by “the aggravation of the politico-military situation in the world, and the continued increase in tensions in Europe, particularly at the western and southern borders of Belarus”. Twelve Su-35 aircraft, two divisions of S-400 air defense systems and a division of Sol-Air Pantsir-S missile systems are being routing. However, how many strengths and materials will be deployed in total.
Ukrainian mistrust
These military exercises “go far beyond normal”, has alarmed Tuesday a high manager of the US State Department, dreading that it is only a pretext for “potentially attacking the Ukraine “. The United States is also worried about the moment to conduct these maneuvers, which intervene just before holding, on February 27, a constitutional referendum in Belarus aimed at strengthening the powers of President Lukashenko.
“These constitutional changes could indicate that Belarus plans to enable nuclear and conventional forces to be stationed in its territory,” said the high person responsible. In the amended version of the text, the obligation, for Belarus, to remain a “nuclear zone” has disappeared. This article would be replaced by another, “excluding military aggression from the territory” Belarusian.
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