The West estimates that Russia has about 30,000 troops in Belarus, and fears it could use them to attack Ukraine and its capital, Kiev. Moscow denies such an intention.
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Belarus justified the extension of maneuvers due to “increased military activity” near its borders and Russia’s borders, as well as increased tensions in eastern Ukraine, where clashes between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists have escalated in recent days.
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Minsk is a close ally of Moscow. This is evidenced, among other things, by the fact that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin watched Russia’s tests of strategic nuclear weapons on Saturday.
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US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are convinced that Russia is planning an attack on Ukraine, during which it will try to encircle the capital Kiev. The metropolis of almost three million is only a few tens of kilometers as the crow flies from the Belarusian border.
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