In Minsk there are increasing signs that Belarus could help the Kremlin in Ukraine. An opposition politician reports that the Russian military presence is constantly growing. Passports would be confiscated, preparations for mobilization had been completed.
The Belarusian opposition politician Pavel Latuschka sees preparations for his country's entry into the war on Russia's side. "The census of all conscripts in Belarus is practically complete," said Latuschka, who lives in exile in Warsaw, to the editorial network Germany (RND). Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko only needs an order from the Kremlin to press the button. Then he could start mobilizing. Latushka used to be his country's culture minister and is now a member of the cabinet in exile of Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya.
As Latushka reports to the RND, citing sources from Minsk, almost all employees who report to the Belarusian Interior Ministry have been asked to surrender their passports. This information would come from various cities in the country. "This means that these people can no longer leave the territory of Belarus if they are mobilized," explained Latuschka.
One can observe that the Russian military presence in Belarus is constantly growing. This affects both the number of soldiers and the military equipment. "Military exercises of the Russian armed forces, including exercises on cooperation between the armed forces of Russia and Belarus, are held regularly," Latushka said. Exercises by the air forces of both countries are planned for the near future.
According to the report, Latuschka criticized a "strategic mistake" by the West in not paying attention to Lukashenko for six months. "No new sanctions will be imposed and no pressure will be exerted," complained the opposition politician. In this way, Lukashenko buys time to prepare for the next phase of the war, namely participation in the Russian military offensive from the north towards Ukraine.
At the same time, Lukashenko received "enormous financial resources from Moscow to both maintain the economy and improve the combat effectiveness of the Belarusian armed forces and the production of military weapons," Latushka said. Once again, the West is making a mistake in assessing Lukashenko's role in the alliance with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
