By John Irish
DAVOS, Switzerland – Belarus’ exiled opposition chief stated on Monday she didn't suppose Russia would launch an offensive on Ukraine from Belarus after the 2 nations started army drills, however Moscow might launch extra missiles strikes from its ally’s territory.
Moscow and Minsk began joint army workouts on Monday, triggering fears in Kyiv and the West that Moscow might use its ally to launch a brand new floor offensive in Ukraine.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya advised Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the World Financial Discussion board (WEF) annual assembly in Davos that she believed the drills aimed to scare the Belarus folks about the potential of conflict and make President Alexander Lukashenko seem like doing the whole lot to keep away from battle.
“The opposite function is to threaten the Ukrainians, distract them and switch the eye of their troops from the jap a part of the nation to the northern borders,” Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus after a presidential election in 2020, stated.
Belarus says the drills are defensive and it'll not enter the conflict, whereas the Kremlin has denied that it has been pressuring Lukashenko to take a extra lively function within the battle in Ukraine, which it calls a “particular army operation”.
Belarus has performed quite a few army workouts since Russia’s invasion started in February, each by itself and collectively with Russia. Along with Moscow, Minsk has additionally been bolstering the drills with weaponry and army gear.
Nevertheless, it's unclear how a lot urge for food there's from the folks to enter a conflict towards their neighbour.
“Lukashenko’s regime isn’t certain that if he sends troops to struggle with the Russian military to Ukraine, the Belarus folks received’t change sides, conceal or betray him, so the established order is snug for Lukashenko and (Russian President Vladimir)Putin.”
Lukashenko, certainly one of Putin’s few agency allies, has allowed Russia to make use of Belarusian territory as a launch pad for missile strikes into Ukraine and a degree of entry for Russian troopers and warplanes because the begin of the conflict on Feb. 24 final yr.
“I doubt that a potential assault can happen on land, however missiles could be launched from Belarus territory at any second,” Tsikhanouskaya stated, declaring that it had not been the case for a number of months.
“Putin is aware of that the participation of Belarusian troops might elevate unpredictable penalties,” she stated.
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