Belarus rejects the participation of its own troops in the war of aggression against Ukraine. Nevertheless, there is support, for example for the Russian soldiers stationed in the country. Thanks are due to the visit of the Russian Defense Minister.
More than nine months after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has visited neighboring Belarus. At a meeting with long-time dictator Alexander Lukashenko, Shoigu thanked him for supporting the Russian soldiers stationed in Belarus.
"They really feel at home here," Shoigu was quoted as saying by the Belarusian state news agency Belta. Together with his counterpart Viktor Chrenin, the minister also signed a document on changes to a security agreement between the two countries. Content details were not initially known.
Lukashenko also reiterated that preparations for the formation of a joint regional military unit of the Russian and Belarusian armed forces are ongoing. The 68-year-old, who is often criticized as "Europe's last dictator", had already informed about corresponding plans in October.
Belarus supports Russia's war against Ukraine - for example by allowing Russian missiles to be launched from its territory. In addition, at the beginning of the raid in February, Russian units attacked Ukraine from Belarusian territory. However, Lukashenko has repeatedly rejected direct intervention by his country.
However, there have recently been reports of a breach of trust between Moscow and Minsk. According to a letter allegedly written by a Russian whistleblower and published by Igor Sushko of the Wind of Change Research Group think tank, the Russian secret service FSB no longer classifies Lukashenko as trustworthy. Lukashenko "deliberately tricked" the Russians by allegedly unknowingly leaking secret plans for military attacks.
The sudden death of Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makej a week ago also fueled speculation. As a result, Lukashenko is said to have changed his cook for fear of poisoning, as reported by the British BBC, among others.
