{"id":11359,"date":"2022-02-21T13:23:40","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T10:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/russian-troops-in-belarus-kremlin-keeps-up-pressure-on-ukraine\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"russian-troops-in-belarus-kremlin-keeps-up-pressure-on-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11359\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian troops in Belarus: Kremlin keeps up pressure on Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n Russian troops are to stay in Belarus after joint maneuvers, Allied Resolve 2022, the country\u2019s Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin announced on February 20. A media deluge has already begun bemoaning Vladimir Putin\u2019s plans to invade Ukraine and Belarus\u2019 loss of independence. <\/b>\n<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\n Troops cannot stay in tents for long <\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

\n\t By keeping its forces in Belarus, Russia has ratcheted up psychological and information pressure on Ukraine, said Aliaksandr Aliesin, a Minsk-based defense analyst.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cI don\u2019t think something extraordinary will happen. The inspection [the exercise] can\u2019t last forever,\u201d he told BPN, noting that Russian troops are likely to leave within a month. He recalled Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka\u2019s February 17 statement that troops\u2019 stay in Belarus could be extended for one month.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t It would be difficult for Russian troops to stay in tents at training camps for long, Aliesin added. \u201cThe military commanders perfectly understand, and I think they have explained to politicians that the term for troops presence here is limited,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cUnder the Soviet government, the country could host more than 240,000 troops with equipment, whereas now it has fewer barracks and fewer parks for military vehicles. It [the infrastructure] was too expensive to maintain. That is why something was sold, something was stolen and something dilapidated under the influence of weather and climate conditions,\u201d he said. \u201cNo one will leave the Russian contingent here in the fields.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Putin has final say<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t Luka\u0161enka and Putin made the decision to keep troops in Belarus longer at their meeting in Moscow on February 18 as Russia keeps up pressure on Ukraine, Washington and NATO to make concessions on what it calls security guarantees. The Belarusian leader has been vulnerable and reliant on Moscow for economic and political support after post-election protests nearly swept him from power in 2020.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Minsk has asked Moscow for a loan to repay its old debts to Russia. It has also asked Russia for assistance with shipping potash fertilizers after neighbors Lithuania and Ukraine stopped providing rail transportation services. Moscow\u2019s generosity now depends on how Luka\u0161enka complies with its wishes.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Although Minsk and Moscow claim to have equal say on all decisions concerning Russian military presence in Belarus and other matters, the West sees Luka\u0161enka as Putin\u2019s puppet.\n<\/p>\n

Minsk short of room for maneuver<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t Putin is not ready for a large-scale war with Ukraine because it may catastrophically destabilize Russia. He seems to be bluffing.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He is unlikely to push for the establishment of permanent Russian bases in Belarus, and Luka\u0161enka said a few days ago that such bases were not needed.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Putin is unlikely to use the troops currently present in Belarus to occupy the country for fear of severe Western sanctions and protests from the country\u2019s population.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Moscow will take advantage of Luka\u0161enka\u2019s weakness to gradually increase its military presence in Belarus through joint exercises, hardware deployments to joint training centers, joint air patrols, including flights by Russian long-range bombers capable of carrying nuclear missiles.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cBelarus\u2019 independence has been stretched to a limit . . . That strongman\u2019s image of a defender of sovereignty has gone. He [Luka\u0161enka] has other things to worry about. Luka\u0161enka\u2019s historical mission has changed,\u201d said Valieryj Karbalievi\u010d, a Belarusian political analyst.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Russian troops are to stay in Belarus after joint maneuvers, Allied Resolve 2022, the country\u2019s Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin announced on February 20. A media deluge has already begun bemoaning Vladimir Putin\u2019s plans to invade Ukraine and Belarus\u2019 loss of independence. Troops cannot stay in tents for long By keeping its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-11359","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRussian troops in Belarus: Kremlin keeps up pressure on Ukraine | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Russian troops are to stay in Belarus after joint maneuvers, Allied Resolve 2022, the country\u2019s Defense Minister Viktar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11359\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Russian troops in Belarus: Kremlin keeps up pressure on Ukraine | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta 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