- Lukashenko also announced today that the military has a new arsenal of weapons.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said the world was “on the edge of the abyss again” and warned there were legitimate fears that World War III could break out.
“We must be as prepared as possible to neutralize risks and threats,” President Vladimir Putin’s biggest ally said at a meeting with senior officials in Minsk.
President Lukashenko also announced today that his military received a new arsenal, including two missile divisions of the S-400 system and two divisions of the Iskander missile system.
The 69-year-old has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for nearly three decades, and almost exactly two years ago he allowed President Putin to use his country as a launching pad for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
As the anniversary approaches this week, there are fears of war spillover, with military leaders suggesting Putin could set his sights on NATO’s eastern flank and other former Soviet states. It’s increasing.
“I would like to characterize the current stage of the civilizational conflict between East and West as follows: the mask has completely fallen off,” Lukashenko said in his latest comments.
“We need to recognize how serious the situation is.”
In his remarks, he added that there were “grounds for concern” about World War III, state news agency Belta reported.
The move comes as NATO conducts its largest military exercise in Eastern Europe since the Cold War, with around 90,000 soldiers from across the alliance taking part in Exercise Steadfast Defender.
Lukashenko said Minsk’s intelligence services were “keeping up to date” on the training.
He also claimed that about 32,000 troops from NATO member states are deployed “in the immediate vicinity of Belarus and Russia.”
Belarus has been carrying out joint exercises with Moscow throughout the war, training its troops with Wagner mercenaries, which he reportedly said “has produced results.”
Last weekend, Moscow scored its biggest victory in Ukraine since capturing Bakhmut last May, with Putin’s forces raising the Russian flag in the eastern city of Avdiivka.
Kremlin forces suffered heavy losses in the battle, with tens of thousands of casualties recorded in months of fighting for the almost completely bombed city.
According to Kiev estimates, Russia has suffered a total of more than 400,000 soldiers killed or wounded so far in the protracted war.
Despite this, Britain’s top adviser declared last week that the giant country “cannot afford to lose” due to its vast resources.
Moscow is replenishing its forces on the battlefield with more conscripts, and allies North Korea and Iran are providing a steady supply of new armored vehicles and artillery.
Estonia warned last week that Putin’s forces were preparing for a military conflict with the West that could last a decade.
And last month, leaked plans revealed Germany’s fears that Putin could once again be on the path to World War III, using Belarus as a launching pad.
Belarus was rocked by mass protests during Lukashenko’s controversial re-election for a sixth term in August 2020, which opposition parties and Western countries accused of fraud.
At the time, Belarusian authorities detained more than 35,000 people, many of whom were tortured in custody or fled the country.
A political activist jailed for “defamation” against President Lukashenko has died in prison, his party, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, announced today.
Igor Lednik, 64, was arrested in 2022 and sentenced to three years in prison for “defamation” due to an article in a Social Democratic newspaper. The party said his health had “significantly deteriorated” in prison.
Rednik suffers from heart disease and had undergone surgery for gastrointestinal problems. However, the party did not say whether this was the cause of death or specify the exact date.
Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya called Lednik’s death an “unjust and incredible tragedy” and blamed authorities.
“The regime is killing Belarusians in prison who tried to change life for the better in their country,” she wrote on Telegram.
The incident comes several days after Putin’s most prominent critic Alexei Navalny also died in prison, and his widow laid the blame on the Russian leader’s doorstep, claiming her husband had been poisoned with Novichok. It happened a day later.