Putin’s Nuclear Blackmail in Belarus
Suddenly, the prospect of Russian nuclear weapons being stationed on Belarusian soil no longer seems all that far-fetched. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Russia
Belarus Joins Vladimir Putin’s Russia Behind Europe’s New Iron Curtain
As 2021 draws to a close, a new Iron Curtain appears to be descending upon Eastern Europe. Continue reading
Ukraine on the Brink
As Russia continues to mount tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border, Vladimir Putin says he is seeking a binding commitment from the United States that Ukraine will never become a NATO member. Continue reading
Brinkmanship on the Border
It’s all got a feeling of deja vu.
Russia is again massing troops and moving ballistic missile systems near Ukraine’s border and is accusing Kyiv of violating the terms of a ceasefire agreement in the Donbas region. Continue reading
Rightsizing Russia
The thing about Russia is that it is never as strong as it appears — and it is never as weak as it appears. So how strong is Russia really? And how much policy attention should it be receiving? Continue reading
Has Lukashenka’s Anti-NATO Gambit Paid Off with Putin?
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu recently invoked the NATO boogeyman as justification for closer military integration with Belarus. And that may be a sign that Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s gambit to go all in on Moscow’s conflict with the West has convinced the Kremlin to keep him around. Continue reading
Are Belarus and Russia using Migrant Crisis to Smuggle Agents into Europe?
Elements of a new Iron Curtain continue to appear along Belarus’s border with the European Union. Continue reading
The Two-Front Cold War
With the focus of the United States largely on a rising and increasingly bellicose China — and with Russia being dismissed by many as a declining regional power — fears are mounting that the European front is not getting the attention it demands. Continue reading
Lukashenka vs. Ukraine
On the sidelines of February 2015 Minsk peace talks seeking to establish a ceasefire in Ukraine’s Donbas region, a live microphone picked up a conversation between Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka and the then Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko. Continue reading
Russia Fears the Belarusization of Belarus
According to a growing number of pro-Kremlin commentators, the spectre haunting Belarus is the threat of “Belarusization,” meaning the promotion of the Belarusian language, history, and culture. Continue reading