{"id":132890,"date":"2025-04-04T12:45:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T09:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/132890\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","slug":"belarus-security-chief-accuses-eu-neighbors-to-mask-real-aggressors","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/132890\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus security chief accuses EU neighbors to mask real aggressors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alaksandar Valfovi\u010d, speaking after a government conference on security on April 3, accused Belarus’ European Union neighbors of building up forces near Belarus and intensifying their \u201caggressive rhetoric.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka said that the conference participants discussed all security aspects outlined in the National Security Concept, such as political, economic, scientific and technological, social, demographic, biological, information, military and environmental issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

False claims<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Valfovi\u010d did not provide any examples to support his unfounded claim that Belarus’ neighbors are engaging in aggressive rhetoric. This accusation is not new. The Belarusian leader has repeatedly claimed that Poland harbors plans to seize part of Belarus. However, there have been no reports of Polish officials staking territorial claims against Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecently, we received information that the Poles are deploying new operational units, reconnaissance battalions and equipment in the Suwa\u0142ki Gap area. They are trying to defend themselves from an imaginary threat from the east,\u201d Valfovi\u010d said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the threat is real. NATO has expressed concerns over the possibility of a Russian attack, including through Belarus, due to the vulnerability of the Suwa\u0142ki Gap\u2014an area frequently mentioned by both Russian and Belarusian officials in their rhetorical attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, in July 2023, Andrei Kartapalov, chairman of the Duma Defense Committee, described Wagner mercenaries based in Belarus as \u201ca hammerhead\u201d capable of seizing the Suwa\u0142ki Gap in a matter of hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2023, Belarusian General Pavie\u0142 Muraviejka said, \u201cLithuania has virtually banned us from moving our goods across the border. According to international law, this step constitutes economic aggression. From a logical standpoint, we have all grounds to cut a vital corridor by force of arms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These statements provide clear examples of aggressive rhetoric from Belarus, not its neighbors, as Valfovi\u010d suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t control it, these are simply missiles, this is Putin\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

However, threats from officials are not limited to rhetoric. Russia is the only country in Europe that has invaded another nation, and Belarus is Russia\u2019s military ally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent interview, \u0141uka\u0161enka made it clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not seek his permission to launch the invasion of Ukraine from Belarus in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were exercises going on involving several thousand Russian soldiers,\u201d \u0141uka\u0161enka said, as quoted by BBC<\/em>. \u201cPutin started withdrawing these troops from where they were in southern Belarus, down a road, along the border with Ukraine. At one point, he redirected some of these troops to Kyiv. I\u2019m sure they\u2019d been provoked. It\u2019s up to Putin how he withdraws his troops. Via Kyiv. Why it happened this way? Ask [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Zelensky, during a phone conversation early in the war, \u0141uka\u0161enka claimed he was not responsible for the invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t control it,\u201d he told me, \u201cI don\u2019t control it. These are simply missiles, this is Putin. I told him not to do it. It was done without me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While \u0141uka\u0161enka may have distanced himself from the invasion, it is clear that Russia could not have launched a large-scale attack without assistance from its Belarusian ally. Whether or not \u0141uka\u0161enka was enthusiastic about the invasion, he ultimately complied with Putin\u2019s orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is no surprise that Western countries imposed sanctions on Belarus as a co-aggressor in the invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price of alliance with Kremlin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Belarusian Armed Forces, the military organization of our state, do not prioritize increasing military budgets or the number of exercises,\u201d Valfovi\u010d said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is true that Belarus does not spend much on defense. Military spending increased from 1.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2024 to 1.8 percent in 2025, according to economist Ale\u015b Hudzija.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk is able to save on defense spending because it relies on Moscow for protection. However, this military alliance comes at a high price. Belarus has faced severe sanctions, estimated to cost billions of dollars, for allowing Russian troops to use its territory to attack Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kremlin also leverages Belarus in its nuclear threats against Kyiv and the EU, a situation that could lead to retaliatory or even preventive strikes on Belarus. Moreover, this aggressive foreign policy has led EU neighbors and NATO to isolate Belarus with an “iron curtain,” leaving the country alone to face the empire that seeks to absorb it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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