According to Svyatlana Tsihanouskaja, Russia’s “creeping occupation” can be seen in Belarus in all areas: armed forces, culture, economy and media.
16.5. 19:54
Sviatlana Sihanauskaya, the most famous representative of the Belarusian opposition, says that Russia is already practically occupying Belarus.
According to Tsihanouskaja, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has sold Belarus “piece by piece” to the Russian administration. In Tsihanouskaja’s opinion, Belarus’ independence is under threat as Moscow tightens its grip on its ally.
Sihanauskaja, who has been living in exile, spoke at a democracy meeting in Copenhagen on Monday, Politico reported.
According to Tsihanouskaja, Russia’s “creeping occupation” can be seen in Belarus in all areas: armed forces, culture, economy and media.
Tsihanouskaja visited Helsinki in December. At the time, he said that the fate of Lukashenka’s administration and Belarus was tied to the outcome of the war in Ukraine.
– When the Ukrainians win – and they will win – so will the Kremlin, and with it, Lukashenka’s power will be significantly weakened. Lukashenka is certainly afraid of this, which is why he tries to pretend that he is not involved in the conflict. However, he is partly responsible for this and should be partly punished for these war crimes.
In recent days, the health of autocratic leader Lukashenka has been the talk of the town in Belarus.
Read more: New photos of Lukashenka published – now he has a bandage on his left palm
Lukashenka has to be hospitalized and his illness has been confirmed by a representative of the Russian Duma. The only accurate information that has been given to the public is that it is not the corona virus.
Harry O’Hara-Aho, former intelligence chief of the defense forces and current negotiations officer at the Ministry of Defense, is convinced that Lukashenka’s illness has also caused a stir in the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read more: Lukashenka’s strange illness may have come to Putin like orders – will the Kremlin change Belarus’ leadership?
The Kremlin is currently preparing to act in the event that Lukashenka can no longer remain in power. Ohra-Aho told IS in Tallinn that in that case, Russia would probably try to capture Belarus in some way, and this could completely change the situation regarding the war in Ukraine as well.
The general belief so far has been that Lukashenka has managed to put the brakes on Putin’s desire to use Belarusian soil to his advantage in the war in Ukraine. If Lukashenka were to step down, the situation could be favorable for Putin – at least in the event that Belarus would be led by a leader more loyal to the Kremlin than Lukashenka.
– Ukraine’s northern front will probably be completely available to Putin, Ohara-Aho estimates.
If Lukashenka dies unexpectedly, the Kremlin may find a pretext to announce, for example, that it needs to bring in Russian troops to defend Belarus from threats from the West and Ukraine. However, this would not be a risk-free move for Putin, as both the military and the people of Belarus have been very reluctant to engage in Putin’s war.
