Whats to Stop Russia From Doing It Again in Elections
Russia is attacking Ukraine, but Belarus, a neighboring country, is "the other aggressor in this war," European Marriage President Ursula von der Leyen said on Feb. 27, 2022.
One politico, Alexander Lukashenko, has ruled Belarus with a draconian hand for the last 28 years, with no interruption in power. And now, Lukashenko is supporting Russian federation in the state of war, reciprocating Russian President Vladimir Putin'south contempo help in maintaining his ain political ability.
Putin is using Belarus every bit a staging basis for his war, which has resulted in at least 500 Ukrainian civilian deaths, and caused more than 1 million people to flee the country. Russian troops have crossed into Ukraine through the Belarusian border in the north.
As an adept on Eastern Europe, I believe there are iii key points to sympathise near Belarus' interest in the Ukraine war.
Russian federation unofficially controls Belarus
Belarus is a former Soviet republic of 9.iv meg people that borders both Russian federation and Ukraine likewise equally Lithuania, Republic of latvia and Poland. It is also Europe'due south last dictatorship.
Lukashenko has spent well-nigh three decades balancing his ties to both Western powers and Putin. But the last presidential election marked a turning point that pushed Lukashenko closer toward Putin.
Lukashenko claimed victory later on the Aug. 9, 2020, election, which international experts widely consider fraudulent. Lukashenko received eighty% of the popular vote, an impossibly favorable result given public discontent with his regime.
An unprecedented public uprising followed, as hundreds of thousands of Belarusians protested the election results.
Putin offered financial and war machine support to help Lukashenko silence the protests — without whatever international response or pushback. Putin also warned foreign powers not to interfere in Belarus' diplomacy. This promise boosted Lukashenko's confidence and feelings of impunity.
Belarusian police subsequently attacked protesters with water cannons, tear gas and stun grenades.
Since 2020, Belarus has faced a series of international economical sanctions that further alienated Lukashenko from the W. The European Wedlock and the U.S. appear on March 2, 2022, a new gear up of sanctions that restricts technology and potential state of war material exports to Belarus.
The lack of international reaction to Putin enabling Lukashenko's beliefs — alongside the economic pressure — pushed the Belarusan leader even closer to the Kremlin. This leaves Lukashenko with a limited ability to take an independent, or neutral, position on the state of war.
Belarusian people cannot easily speak against Lukashenko
The human rights situation in Belarus has sharply deteriorated since the 2020 elections, prompting an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 people to get out Belarus for neighboring European Union countries and Ukraine.
People increasingly cannot freely express their opinions about any of the authorities'southward decisions, for fearfulness of persecution and arrest.
Since 2020, Republic of belarus has detained more than 1,000 political prisoners, the U.S. State Department reported in January 2022.
And at least 497 journalists and media workers were detained by the government during the first eight months of 2021, according to Un man rights practiced Michelle Bachelet. An estimated 129 Byelorussian nonprofit and homo rights organizations also airtight down during this time frame.
Despite threats of government fines and arrests, thousands of Belarusians once more took to the streets on Feb. 27, 2022, to protestation the referendum and to express solidarity with Ukraine. Equally a outcome, police force arrested an estimated 800 protesters.
The silencing of public opinion gives Putin more than ability to exploit Belorussian territory for his political and military interests. Belarusians cannot employ pressure to the government and finish Lukashenko from following Putin's orders.
Republic of belarus is a strategic stage for Russia
The border between Republic of belarus and Ukraine stretches about 674 miles – roughly one-half the length of Ukraine's border with Russia. This significantly expanded Russia's base for attacking Ukraine.
Belarus and Russian federation conducted large-scale, joint military exercises ahead of the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Despite public assurances from the Belarusian government that the Russian troops would go dorsum to Russian federation, some xxx,000 Russian troops extended their stay in Belarus, and many somewhen crossed into Ukraine.
Lukashenko continues to follow Putin's orders as the state of war escalates.
Putin put Russia'south nuclear forces on high alarm on February. 27, raising international concern. That aforementioned twenty-four hours, Belarus scrapped its commitment to remaining nuclear free post-obit a public plebiscite vote that was rigged, international experts say. This change in Republic of belarus' constitution would allow Belarus to physically host Russian nuclear weapons.
Belarus' military ties to Russia have strengthened since 2020.
Lukashenko announced in September 2021 that Russia would ship armed services equipment, including helicopters and air defense systems, to the Belarusian-Ukraine border.
Two months later, Lukashenko bankrupt his neutrality on Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Russian federation forcibly annexed in 2014. The Byelorussian leader publicly recognized that Crimea was Russian territory. Lukashenko besides offered to host Russian nuclear weapons if NATO moves nuclear weapons from Germany to Eastern Europe, as had been reported.
Lukashenko repeated his plan to station Russian warheads on Byelorussian soil on Feb. 27, 2022, speaking at a polling station on the mean solar day of the referendum.
Russia's power to identify nuclear weapons in Republic of belarus has raised alarm for neighboring NATO countries, importantly Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, every bit well every bit the U.Southward. and other Western powers.
By hosting Russian troops and weapons, Lukashenko has shown that he is closely aligned with Putin — despite the popular will of the Belarusian people to maintain distance.
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Source: https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-belarus-is-helping-russia-wage-war-against-ukraine-177984
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