In a Tuesday speech, the leader of Belarus voiced his country’s worries about a third world war and reaffirmed its resolve to be ready for anything.
When meeting with other high-ranking officials in Minsk, Vladimir Putin’s closest ally stressed the need to be ready to counter any dangers.
Almost two years ago, Putin was able to use Belarus as a springboard for his invasion of Ukraine, thanks to the 69-year-old leader who has ruled Belarus for nearly 30 years.
Military officials have hinted that Putin may attack NATO’s eastern flank and other former Soviet states, so there is growing concern that the war could escalate as the anniversary approaches this week.
Concerns about the possible use of nuclear weapons have intensified in light of this continuing conflict, which is the largest in Europe since WWII, even as other conflicts around the world are becoming worse.
Last month, plans that were leaked revealed that Germany was worried about a possible way to start World War III, with Putin using Belarus as a springboard again.
Protests rocked Belarus in August 2020 as opposition and Westerners panned President Lukashenko’s contested re-election to a sixth term.
During that time, authorities in Belarus detained more than 35,000 people; many of them were subjected to torture while in custody or decided to leave the country altogether.
Despite frequently agreeing with Moscow’s geopolitical positions, Belarus has not sent troops to Russia’s war in Ukraine and has instead demanded a truce. The country conducts joint military exercises with Moscow, and Lukashenko boasted that training with the Wagner mercenaries had yielded positive results.
Operation Steadfast Defender, involving around 90,000 troops over several months, is currently taking place in Europe and is NATO’s largest military exercise since the 1990s.
According to Lukashenko, the intelligence services in Minsk kept a careful eye on developments, and approximately 32,000 soldiers from NATO countries were stationed near Russia and Belarus. According to his announcement, s-400 anti-aircraft systems, which are mobile surface-to-air missile systems comparable to the United States Patriot air defenses, were also added to the country’s military.
