Headline:
Kremlin Ponders Annexing Belarus to Distract Russians from Ukraine War Failures
Article:
In a desperate bid to distract the Russian populace from the failure to achieve key war objectives in Ukraine, the Kremlin is reportedly reconsidering a long-gestating plan: annexing Belarus. This unorthodox strategy, revealed by Meduza, could seeRussia portraying the move as a "deeper integration" of the two states, complete with joint governance structures.
Sources close to the Kremlin have floated the idea of staging "elections" to install a united government, claiming, "They could even be chosen, with a campaign, showing new records." However, one snag in this plan could be Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who’s been in power since 1994 and shows no signs of sharing authority.
Lukashenko is due to face another rigged election later this month, with expectations set high for his seventh term. Meanwhile, Russian elites are said to be disenchanted by the drawn-out Ukraine conflict, with businesses voicing displeasure at the high key interest rate, among other economic woes.
This isn’t the first time Lukashenko has been eyed warily by Moscow. He’s previously expressed fears of losing Belarusian territory in potential Ukraine peace talks and even apologized to Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky for Russia‘s initial invasion in 2022, offering to strike Russian forces on Belarusian soil.
The Russian leadership’s latest contemplation hints at a willingness to grasp at straws to reframe the protracted Ukraine conflict as a victory, with or without Lukashenko’s consent.
