Putin Gets a Gut Punch From Nation He Thought Was His Ally
(BrightPress.org) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko invited Russians to participate in military drills inside his country, before the February 24 invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin. In early July, he sounded more like a Soviet-era leader than the head of an independent nation. That may be causing some uncomfortable moments within Belarus’ military.
According to reports, members of the nation’s army recently expressed skepticism and concern over Lukashenko’s support for Russia and its war. The soldiers are concerned Belarus isn’t an independent and sovereign state but one that is increasingly under the control of Putin. Considering the president’s recent comments, they may have just cause for concern.
Military Expresses Concern
On Friday, July 1, Newsweek reported that Lukashenko warned several former Soviet states that they needed to get in line with Moscow if they wanted to maintain their sovereignty. The Belarusian president added that if post-Soviet countries wanted to live peacefully with Russia, they needed to support Putin and resist global change.
A little over a week later, on Saturday, July 9, Express revealed that senior officers from the fifth brigade of the Special Forces expressed profound concern over sending soldiers into Ukraine to support Russia. Countering the president’s rhetoric, they alleged that Putin’s regime violated Clause One of the Belarus Constitution, which says the country has complete authority over its own lands and is independent of all foreign politics.
The military leaders said if Belarus joined Russia in its war, the country would face sanctions and separation from the rest of the global community and be labeled an outcast. In addition, the letter went on to say Ukraine was a friend and that if Moscow attempted to “pull Belarus into a completely unprovoked war against a sovereign state” it would be seen as “the destruction of the sovereignty of Belarus.”
“To join Russia in its fight against Ukraine would be an act of pure suicide,” the officers said.
Lukashenko Calls For Greater Military Alliance With Russia
The letter was reportedly a response to a meeting between Lukashenko and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The president pledged full support to Putin’s country in its fight against “Nazism” and asked if the Russians were ready to deploy nuclear weapons. The leader of the former small former-Soviet state said the two countries needed to protect themselves against Western aggression.
So, is there a developing separation between Lukashenko and his military? Does the letter signal they will ignore any orders by their president, or that they might even entertain the idea of a coup?
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