What's next in Belarus? The situation is becoming more and more tense and now Russia is also getting involved. Vladimir Putin threatens to invade.
- The situation in Belarus remains precarious.
- After the presidential election on August 9th, there are still massive protests against President Alexander Lukashenko .
- The authoritarian head of state is now getting support from Moscow . Kremlin chief Putin is already keeping security forces in place.
Minsk - 1994, it was a long time ago. Helmut Kohl is Federal Chancellor. The German national soccer team embarrassed itself in the World Cup quarter-finals and eliminated against Bulgaria. At the top of the charts is Cotton Eye Joe from the Rednex. Since then, a lot has changed worldwide - with the exception of Belarus . As it was 26 years ago, the country is still ruled by the autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko . At least when it comes to his interpretation of election results.
Belarus: Protests over Lukashenko - “the last dictator in Europe” for alleged electoral fraud massively criticized
The 65-year-old continues to insist on the legitimacy of his election at the beginning of August, in which he was declared the winner with 80.1 percent of the votes. However, because the election was overshadowed by massive allegations of falsification and many Belarusians see the opposition politician Svetlana Tichanovskaya as the legitimate winner, the situation on the ground is noticeably escalating. For more than two weeks there have been massive protests against Lukashenko and his regime on the streets of Belarus , which by violently suppressing the government opponents does not exactly contribute to de-escalation. The calls for new elections are only getting louder.
After the outcome of the election became known, the situation in Belarus escalated. The protests continue - like here in Minsk.
© Sergei GAPON / AFP
Because an end to the state of emergency is not in sight, there is now help from the powerful neighboring country. Russia agreed to help Belarus with emergency services if the situation worsened. A separate reserve had been created in the event of an intervention, said Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to the television station Rossija 1. The Russian president is threatening to invade, if the protests lead to a destabilization of the Lukashenko regime.
A deployment in the country with around 9.5 million inhabitants will only be possible under certain conditions, said Putin . “When the situation gets out of hand and extremist forces hiding behind political slogans cross certain borders.” He listed robbery or cars set on fire as examples. There is currently no “such need” (yet). For Putin, it is also clear where these “extremist forces” would come from - from the EU and the USA . There are hardly any critical voices in the own population. Lukashenko , who gave a bad part in the Corona crisis *, was elected with 80.1 percent of the vote.
The decision had meanwhile been made at Lukashenko's request . A friendship service? The politician, decried as the “last dictator in Europe”, recently received massive resistance, especially from the West. While the consensus of electoral fraud seems clear in the EU, Russia (like China ) congratulated Lukashenko on his victory just one day after the election.
The criticism of Lukashenko, meanwhile, continues to generate little enthusiasm in Moscow. Putin once again accused the West of unduly meddling in the affairs of the independent country. Russia , on the other hand, is more cautious and neutral than many other countries, he said, and mentioned the EU and the USA .
Everyone knows each other: Vladimir Putin (r.) And Alexander Lukashenko, here with Kazakhstan's ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
© dpa
Belarus: Stoltenberg criticizes Putin's decision - "nobody should interfere there"
Presidential candidate Tichanovskaya meanwhile spoke out against any interference by Russia. It was a crisis that had to be resolved within Belarus, she told the Russian radio station Echo Moskwy. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also warned Russia against intervening. “It is very clear: we respect the territorial integrity of Belarus . It is a sovereign and independent state. And nobody - not even Russia - should interfere there, ”he told bild.de.
The neighboring states of Lithuania , Latvia and Estonia want to increase the pressure on the authoritarian leadership in Minsk. Independently of the EU sanctions, you have decided on your own sanctions. Poland also warned Russia against military intervention. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attacked Moscow sharply.
Belarus: Poland goes to the barricades over Putin - "a hostile act and a breach of international law"
"The Polish government calls on Russia to immediately abandon its plans for a military intervention in Belarus under the false pretext of restoring order," he wrote on Twitter on Thursday. Such a move would be “a hostile act” and a “breach of international law”. At the moment, however, it is the next inglorious chapter in a country that yearns for change more than it has for a long time. It's not 1994 anymore. (As with material from the dpa) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network.
List of rubric lists: © Sergei GAPON / AFP