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Ukrainian officials are increasingly involved in an imaginable Belarusian offensive in the country’s northwestern region, as troops continue to surge along the border. According to independent Belarusian media, Belarusian brigades crossed a pontoon bridge over the Neman River as part of a “combat readiness inspection and conducted army training on the border with Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is meeting with his Belarusian counterpart in the capital, Minsk, raising fears that he will pressure Lukashenko to play a more active role in the war and send troops into Ukraine. The commander of the Ukrainian Joint Armed Forces, Serhiy Nayev, said the talks included plans for a “new aggression” against Ukraine and greater Belarus involvement in the conflict.
Speaking to Express. co. uk, Franak Viačorka, a senior adviser to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said Lukashenko was “taken hostage” through Putin, who plans to launch new attacks on Ukraine and would possibly ask the Belarusian military for help as a “refund. “for what was borrowed in previous years.
In 2020, Lukashenko went through the largest anti-government protests Belarus has seen in recent history, which Belarusian police violently crushed.
While the foreign network has condemned the torture cases and the rigged voting process, Putin is suspected of providing military assistance to help Lukashenko end civil unrest and secure a sixth term in power.
The Russian now believes the Belarusian owes him a favor, he said. Viačorka: “Putin is asking Lukashenko to return the money.
“And Lukashenko is paying his debts to Putin by giving infrastructure, [Belarusian] land, tanks and planes to the Russian army. “
However, a direct offensive through Belarus in northwestern Ukraine is “highly unlikely” due to its growing anti-war stance, Mr. Viačorka, who believes Belarus will be used as a “launching pad” to send Russian forces to the front.
“Belarusians are very anti-war, very pro-Ukraine, unlike Russians who don’t see the signs. It is another reality. Belarusians are very European. “
Only 23% of Belarusians Russia invade Ukraine, according to Chatham House’s knowledge published in July, up from 28% in March.
He added: “Putin will use Soviet-era Belarusian resources, weapons, weapons and missiles,” which are “crucial for the Russian military. “
At the beginning of the war, Putin sent troops to Belarus to carry out army offensives in northwestern Ukraine and in the capital, Kiev. “Constant priority. “
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“We are preparing for every imaginable defense scenario,” President Zelensky said, adding that the border scenario was discussed in an assembly with his army commanders.
The possible new attack comes as Ukraine’s most sensible general, Valery Zaluzhniy, has warned that Russia is preparing 200,000 new troops for a first offensive that could come from the east, south or even Belarus starting in January, and probably more. . in the spring.
In a bid to counter an imaginable new attack from Russia in the new year, the Ukrainian president called on Western leaders to meet in Latvia to accelerate the source of a wide diversity of weapons systems in his country.
“No matter what Moscow’s rocket worshippers depend on, it may not replace the balance of forces in this war,” he said.
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In another call for more weapons, Maj. Gen. Andrii Kovalchuk said he could “foresee” that Russian forces could try to invade Ukraine from all fronts (north, east and south) on Feb. 24, a year after Putin introduced the “special army operation. “
He told Sky News: “We foresee such options, such scenarios. That’s what we’re here for. We live with the idea that they will strike again. That’s our job. “
In a statement, Lukashenko gave the impression of rejecting claims that Belarus is Russia’s puppet in the war, saying: “I would like to re-tense this characteristic: nobody, us, rules Belarus. “
He added: “We will have to start from the fact that we are a sovereign and independent state. “
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