UK claims Belarus trying to balance between supporting Russia & avoiding Western sanctions

On May 16, the UK claimed that Moscow's closest ally, Belarus, is attempting to strike a balance between supporting Russia and avoiding Western sanctions. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, Belarusian forces were not directly involved in the conflict, despite the previous speculation, with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko likely balancing support for Russia's invasion with a desire to avoid direct military participation with the risk of Western sanctions, Ukrainian retaliation, and possible discontent in the Belarusian military.

The tweet read, "Belarusian President Lukashenko is likely balancing support for Russia’s invasion with a desire to avoid direct military participation with the risk of Western sanctions, Ukrainian retaliation and possible dissatisfaction in the Belarusian military."

The British Ministry of Defence also reported increased activity among Belarus's armed forces, indicating that this is part of a strategy to effectively prevent Ukrainian troops from being sent to reinforce those fighting for territory with Russia. According to the ministry's daily update, Russia's ally Belarus has announced the deployment of special operations forces along the Ukraine border, as well as air defence, artillery, and missile units to training ranges in the country's west.

Russia-Ukraine War

Meanwhile, the heinous Russia-Ukraine war has reached day 82. To capture pre-determined targets, Vladimir Putin's troops have shifted their focus to the eastern Donbass region, where the most experienced and well-equipped Ukrainian troops are stationed. After months of bombardment, the orcs withdrew from the Kharkiv region on Saturday. Meanwhile, the EU has pledged US$520 million in humanitarian assistance to Kyiv.

While the European Union (EU) considers its next set of sanctions, which could include an embargo on Russian oil imports, Germany declared on Monday that it will cease purchasing Russian oil regardless of the sanctions, according to Bloomberg. According to a Berlin official, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government intends to proceed with the plan. According to the German Economy Ministry, Germany has already reduced its Russian oil consumption to 12% from 35% since the Russia-Ukraine war began.

"Russian forces have likely abandoned the objective of completing a large-scale encirclement of Ukrainian units from Donetsk City to Izyum in favour of completing the seizure of Luhansk Oblast... Russian forces have likely run out of combat-ready reservists," according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Image: AP