In the early phases of the armed war, Belarus allowed Russian troops to fight Ukraine on its territory, but it doesn’t appear that it also dispatched troops there.
Additionally, Belarus granted Russia complete access to its military airfields for Russian military aircraft to launch planes, as well as its military facilities for firing artillery and missiles against its southern neighbor or crossing the border southward.
Eventually, there were rumors of Belarusian forces in Ukraine. Russian and Belarusian medical professionals allegedly treated Russian soldiers injured in Ukraine in hospitals in Homiel and other Homiel Region cities. The Homiel Region mortuaries reportedly housed Russian servicemen who died in Ukraine.
Did Belarus Invade Russia?
Belarus, a staunch Russian ally, has backed Russia, its eastern neighbor, for ages and also during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, so Belarus invading Ukraine is very well out of the picture. On the contrary, Belarus let the Russian Armed Forces conduct military exercises on its soil for many weeks; nevertheless, the Russian forces did not leave the nation when they were supposed to.
In fact, Belarus’ unwavering support to Russia throughout its war with Ukraine despite the sanctions by several countries speaks volumes about the strong bond the two nations and their leaders share.
This allowed Russia to have the quickest land approach to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, with Belarus granting Russia permission to conduct a portion of the invasion from its territory. Belarus’ role was denounced in Western nations, and as a result, sanctions were imposed on Belarus by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan.
In order to thwart Russia’s efforts to wage war in Belarus, hackers have attacked both key infrastructure and government organizations in Belarus. To put it briefly, Russia has aided Belarus, particularly its autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has requested a favor in return.
Is Belarus Part of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine?
Belarus never came forward officially to lend its support to Russia so as to prevent itself from attracting more sanctions but unofficially kept aiding Russia in many ways.
Russia used Belarus as a major staging area for its invasion of Ukraine, pouring troops over the border before crossing it again months later. Russia continues to train its troops in Belarus and conduct attacks on Ukraine.
Following the fall of the USSR in 1991, Belarus gained independence and was formerly a member of the Soviet Union. Since that time, it has continued to have strong political and economic relations with Russia.
Belarus is crucial to the Russian military effort strategically. Kyiv is situated nearer Belarus than it is to Russia, and the two countries share a roughly 700-mile border. Under the pretense of joint training exercises, around 30,000 Russian soldiers came to Belarus throughout the winter.
Early on in the invasion, Belarus participated in peace efforts by hosting meetings between Russians and Ukrainians along its border. However, despite some initial agreements, the negotiations did not lead to a long-lasting truce.
In a recent move, according to a nuclear network operator’s advice reported by Russian official news outlets, Ukraine was preparing an attack on the crucial plant. Although the Russia-Ukraine war still looks far impending, nations like Belarus intervening in between only stretches the war, failing in bringing back the much-needed peace the world wants.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think friendships between countries overweighs the importance of peace? Are you against Belarus’ move?
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