{"id":79363,"date":"2024-04-12T14:08:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T11:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/79363\/"},"modified":"2024-04-12T14:32:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T11:32:17","slug":"belarus-russia-shut-themselves-off-from-west","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/79363\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus, Russia shut themselves off from West"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u201ciron curtain” is already a reality, not just a catch-word in politicians\u2019 vocabulary.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (pexels.com \/ Johann Piber)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In February, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, commenting on plans to close two more checkpoints at the border with Belarus, said that “there is already an iron curtain, it probably fell a long time ago, I dare not guess, for decades or years.”

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silinja said a month ago that the Baltic states were looking forward to an iron curtain to be lowered between them and Russia and Belarus.

Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja, however, warned against isolating Belarus because it is detrimental to society and its democratic aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More walls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, disengagement is gaining momentum across the board.

NATO has increased its presence in the neighboring countries. Germany stationed a motorized brigade in Lithuania. In December, the United States installed a missile defense system in Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alliance is conducting major exercises, including in countries neighboring Belarus. Fortifications are being built, and the border area is being mined.

Belarus has been experiencing militaristic fever in the last two years. It holds regular drills, forms territorial defense units and people’s militia. It is said to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons.

Exercises involving reservists were conducted in five districts earlier this week. Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka visited the western border twice within a short time, creating a stir with his bellicose statements, including the much-quoted remark, “We are preparing for war, I speak openly about it.”

Minsk continues to use migrants from Asia and Africa to keep up pressure on its neighbors. In 2024 alone, EU countries prevented more than 7,000 illegal attempts to cross the border from Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 10, Polish border guards turned away a group of 220 migrants trying to break through the barbed wire from Belarus.

In addition to the air blockade, the EU has tightened restrictions on land routes leading to Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EU neighbors closed border crossings to limit traffic. A 50-kilometer line of trucks was reported recently at the Polish-Belarusian border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus perceived as extension of Russia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The latest, 13th package of EU sanctions against Russia came into force on the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is considered one of the most comprehensive, if not the most comprehensive. The new restrictions also affect Belarus, albeit indirectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU is said to have prohibited the export of cars with engine capacity of more than 1.9 liters and a price of more than \u20ac50,000 and restricted trade in some other goods.

Lithuania is set to tighten the rules of residence and legalization for Belarusians and Russians, citing activity of the Belarusian security services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius is planning to extend a ban on the retransmission of Belarusian and Russian television channels.

The perception of Belarus in the West has changed dramatically. It is no longer considered an independent state, but rather a puppet, a vassal or an extension of Russia.

Meanwhile, \u0141uka\u0161enka’s policies reinforce this perception in every possible way, making the country more and more dependent on Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, on April 9 he said that more than 90 percent of Belarusian industrial exports are sent to Russia. The Belarusian embassy in Russia has gained political influence.

Meanwhile, Belarusian state media continue to sow hatred toward neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk, Moscow reluctant to communicate with West<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A new geopolitical reality is emerging in the region. The civilizational unity formed over centuries has been torn apart for political reasons. Economic, social, cultural ties, communication between countries and people have fallen victim to geopolitical confrontation.

Observers compare the current standoff with the Cold War between the two social systems. Just like then, military and political tension is exacerbated by a bitter ideological conflict.

Minsk says European values contradict ancestral national traditions, claiming that its ideological allies in the fight against the unipolar order are China and countries in Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is more a Russian narrative. In Belarus, however, hostility toward Poland is met with public rejection.

The iron curtain can only fall when the regimes of \u0141uka\u0161enka and Vladimir Putin are exhausted. The belligerent postures of Moscow and Minsk make normal communication with the West virtually impossible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The \u201ciron curtain” is already a reality, not just a catch-word in politicians\u2019 vocabulary. In February, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, commenting on plans to close two more checkpoints at the border with Belarus, said that “there is already an iron curtain, it probably fell a long time ago, I dare not guess, for decades or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":53243,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-79363","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBelarus, Russia shut themselves off from West | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The \u201ciron curtain" is already a reality, not just a catch-word in politicians\u2019 vocabulary. 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