Alexander Lukashenko’s surprise visit to Russia has a clear goal, according to Ukrainian political technologist Yuriy Podorozhniy: the Belarusian strongman is picking up new instructions in Moscow. Podorozhniy said on the 24 Kanal channel that Lukashenko is not an equal partner but a “Gauleiter of Belarus” — installed by the Kremlin leadership. Democratic states do not recognize him as a legitimate president.
Moscow Minsk as a Gateway
In the expert’s view, Lukashenko’s greatest value to the Kremlin currently lies not in military escalation but in diplomatic moves. Podorozhniy pointed to initial contacts between Minsk and Washington in the spring, after which Lukashenko released some political prisoners. The Kremlin could now use Belarus as a testing ground to achieve a relaxation of sanctions against individual Belarusian companies — as a first step toward a broader softening of punitive measures against Russia.
“If relief is granted for one economic sector, such relief will naturally follow for other industries,” Podorozhniy warned. A gradual easing of sanctions via the Belarusian channel could be tactically clever from Moscow’s perspective, as it would not appear as direct relief for Russia. At the same time, the political technologist stressed that the military threat from Belarus has not been averted: together with Russia, defense lines continue to be built there.
Source: 24tv.ua
