Russia would see any attack on Belarus as an act of aggression against itself, and will fight with all of its military capabilities, according to Moscow’s envoy to the country.
Boris Gryzlov, a former Russian interior minister, urged third parties against harming the country’s biggest ally in an interview with Belarusian STV.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated unequivocally that any attack on Belarus will be treated as an attack on Russia.” “In such a case, the Russian Federation’s military doctrine requires a response with all of our weaponry,” Gryzlov said, seemingly hinting at the possibility of a nuclear strike.
Since the beginning of the crisis between Moscow and Kiev, Russia and Belarus have increased their military cooperation. Following repeated requests from Minsk, Russia announced the deployment of its nuclear weapons in Belarus earlier this year. The Belarusian government criticized aggressive Western tactics and the perceived threat posed by US nuclear weapons, which were hosted in Washington by European allies.
Belarus has recently encountered problems with its major EU neighbor, Poland. Since the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, which sparked huge protests and whose outcome was challenged by the opposition, the two countries’ relations have increasingly deteriorated. Warsaw, and the EU as a whole, openly supported the opposition’s ultimately unsuccessful attempt to depose President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The confrontation between Russia and Ukraine has strained relations even further. Poland reacted vehemently to the deployment of Russian nukes in Belarus, constantly raising concerns about the suspected operations of Wagner Group, a Russian private military organization that was re-deployed in Belarus following its mutiny in late June.
Warsaw alleges the PMC has become more active along its border, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki alleging it is “undoubtedly a step towards an upcoming hybrid attack on Polish territory.” Belarus, on the other hand, has disputed such charges, claiming that Warsaw was “aggravating” the situation on behalf of the US.
