Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine are considered “the three brothers” of Eastern Europe. They made up 90% of the Soviet Union’s GDP during its existence, and all have allies worldwide. In recent years, there has been a conflict in Ukraine, which has caused reactions all over the globe. The United States sent aid to Ukraine, and Kazakhstan sent aid to Russia. Yet Belarus remained silent. Until recently, Belarus had only allowed Russian troops to practice military drills on their lands. This Russian / Belarus relationship is something which will have a tremendous impact on the Ukrainian crisis. 

Russia and Belarus

Belarus’ president, Alexander Lukashenko, faced uproar and protests for his treatment of citizens by institutionalizing national police and unlawful arrests. According to The New York Times, his office spent over 50 million Euros to cover up his administration’s treatment, by creating propaganda portraying Belarus as a “paradise on earth.” Lukashenko sought aid from Russia, and as a result, Belarus and Russia grew closer to one another in 2020. The two countries left Ukraine out of the picture, by not notifying Ukraine of trade talks and technological advancements. From 1999 to 2020, Ukraine’s GDP grew by 1.2%, a slim margin compared to Russia’s and Belarus’s growth of over ten percent. Ukraine found trading partners in other parts of the world, mainly in Japan and several nations in the Middle East. Ukraine’s foreign relations angered the Russian government. Which led Russia to cut off financial support to Ukraine and portrayed the country as “anti-Russian.” Belarus supported Russia in distancing from Ukraine, these sequence of events have set up the conflict we have in Ukraine today.

Military Action

In February of 2022, Belarus authorized Russia to use the Belarusian territory to deploy troops into Ukraine. Since then, there have been reports of numerous airstrikes and missile launches from Belarus into Ukraine. Along with allowing Russia to utilize Belarus’ territory for military operations, Belarus revoked its nuclear-free status in March 2022. Putin stated that Belarus would be ready to host Russian nukes in the event of extreme military action by Ukraine. President Lukashenko has instituted Belarus’ involvement in the Ukraine crisis. Not only did he grant Russia to use Belarus as a tunnel into Ukraine, but he also allowed Russia to produce tanks and weapons in Belarus, which created commotion in neighboring countries and the West. 

Side-Effects

According to Lukashenko’s cabinet, Belarus will continue to support Russia and its military advancement into Ukraine. Due to this, millions of native Belarusians have migrated to neighboring nations such as Poland, Moldova, Slovakia, and Lithuania. Many of them faced inhumane living conditions in immigration camps along the Belarus border; some even say, “inhabitable,” a Belarusian citizen noted in an April 2022 BBC interview. The conflict in Eastern Europe has created a Belarus-Russia relationship that will install fear into neighboring nations and set the stage for possible global competition in the future.