RUSSIA WON IN BELARUS

SOURCE: KREMLIN.RU

12 August 2020 RUSSIA WON IN BELARUS

What might seem is that Alexander Lukashenko will make a successful bid to stay in power, though an overwhelming majority of Belarusians are visibly fed up with him as the leader. Certainly, Lukashenko’s rigged victory and violent crackdowns would not keep him in power if it were not for Russia’s stance. The Kremlin believes that it is best to see Lukashenko stay in power, yet his ratings have never been so weak for a quarter of century.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 10 congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on his re-election as Belarusian president shortly after the regime had thwarted the first wave of social unrest against rigged presidential election. Putin’s congratulatory message to Lukashenko on his re-election was orbital around efforts to deepen RussianBelarusian ties within the Eurasian Economic Community and the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as build up military and political cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Russia’s foreign ministry also had warm words. Its message to Lukashenko contained an implicit urge to advance integration efforts between these two