Russia might use Belarus to attack the Baltics, Tsikhanouskaya says

Euronews

2 days ago

'Ask your intelligence, what is Russia planning this summer in Belarus?' Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Lithuania on 2 June.
Addressing a group of nine NATO member countries in eastern and central Europe, Ukraine's president urged them to "bring more strength together" for the possible Russian threat coming from the territory of Belarus.
Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews the large-scale joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus taking place in the autumn might indeed pose a threat to NATO's Eastern flank.
'Don't forget the last military drills in Belarus ended with the attack on Ukraine', she said, referring to the upcoming Zapad 2021 manoeuvres.
In autumn 2021, just months before Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow and Minsk held military exercises in Belarus, training, among other things, for assault operations in densely populated areas with the use of Russian equipment.
Back in 2022 Russia used Belarus as a launching pad for its attacks and full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But Moscow didn't get the people of Belarus to participate in the assault, says Tsikhanouskaya, adding that Belarusians will not go against the Baltic states.
'They might be forced, but it doesn't mean that they will fight there. I hope that people will prefer to escape or change sides, but not fight with the Lithuanians or Poles, especially knowing how much these countries are supporting us'.
The Belarus opposition leader believes that this support is also for her. Since fleeing Belarus in 2020, she has been living in Lithuania, where she is now hearing the concerns and worries about whether her native country can stage an attack on the country which welcomed her when she had to leave home.
'It is a rather dire atmosphere with all the discussions over possible attacks on Lithuania, because Lithuania will be the first country on the way to the European Union', she admits, saying there are also concerns over whether NATO will stand up for Lithuania.
'There are discussions of whether NATO will come to rescue Lithuanias, will there be enough time,' Tsikhanouskaya explains.
Tsikhanouskaya remains optimistic that NATO will step in despite the recent reports of European officials being concerned that Washington might even withdraw US troops from the Baltic states.
'I really do believe in NATO alliance, that with their unity and their power they will send a very clear signal to Putin 'Don't dare'.'
She hopes a similar strong signal will be sent to Aliaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus as well, as the further militarisation of the country is getting worse, Tsikhanouskaya says.
'People notice how regime is militarising our society. There are many enterprises and factories now are working for Russian military. We have all the proofs how enterprises participate in this war against Ukraine.'
Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews that Aliaksandr Lukashenka is also forcing the militarisation of Belarusian society.
'We see how young people are very much involved into this militarisation in schools, in universities, where the militarisation subjects are being taught," she explained.
She said that this way, Lukashenka's regime was trying to show the population that there is an external enemy to unite against — a strategy also used by Moscow.
'They want to show we have external enemies, somebody wants to invade us, so they are saying they try to prepare the nation for some for some possible danger in the future," Tsikhanouskaya pointed out.
But compared to the similar militarisation strategy in Russia, this won't work on the people of Belarus, Tsikhanouskaya said.
And although there is a complete understanding that Belarus might be used by Russia "with the help of Lukashenka for possible future attacks on Ukraine or on the European Union," people will resist the direct involvement.
'I don't think that the same method will work with the Belarusian nation, because Belarusians really don't understand how it is to fight against our neighbor and how to kill our neighbours," Tsikhanouskaya concluded.
Israel has carried out an attack on the Iranian capital of Tehran, in strikes aimed at the country's nuclear programme which also killed several top military officials as well as nuclear scientists. Iran has responded by launching at least 100 drones towards Israel.
IDF spokesperson Brig. General Effie Defrin said Israel is working to intercept the drones. A state of emergency has been declared.
Israel's strikes on Iran, which took place late Thursday into Friday, reportedly killed Hossein Salami, chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forced. Two top nuclear scientists were also killed, according to Iranian state media.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were a "targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival", claiming that "if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time."
The Iranian government said Israel's attacks had "proven that it does not abide by any rule of international law. We affirm our right to retaliate, and we will respond to this terrorist entity firmly and decisively."
Earlier, explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, as Israel claimed it was attacking the country. Iranian state media reported explosions in the northeastern parts of the city.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed early Friday that an Israeli strike hit Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.
In a statement on X, the IAEA's Director General, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said: 'The IAEA is closely monitoring the deeply concerning situation in Iran... The Agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country.'
Israeli leaders cast the "preemptive assault" as a fight for the nation's survival, adding that it was necessary to head off what they described as an imminent threat that Iran would pose if it developed nuclear weapons.
It remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that or whether it had actually had been planning a strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel targeted both nuclear and military sites.
'It could be a year. It could be within a few months," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he vowed to pursue the attack for as long as necessary to 'remove this threat.'
"This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival,' he said.
The strike on Iran pushed the Israeli military to its limits, requiring the use of aging air-to-air refuelers to get its fighter jets close enough to attack. It wasn't immediately clear if Israeli jets entered Iranian airspace or just fired so-called 'standoff missiles' over another country.
Fighter jets were reportedly heard flying overhead in Iraq at the time of the attack.
The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme. The Board of Governors at the IAEA for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors.
Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more-advanced ones.
Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn't want — though official there have repeatedly warned it could.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz announced a 'emergency situation' in the country following the attacks. He said schools would be closed nationwide on Friday, adding that an Iranian retaliation of missiles and drones are to be expected in the 'immediate future'.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took 'unilateral action against Iran' and that Israel advised Washington that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defence.
'We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,' Rubio said in a statement released by the White House.
Rubio said the Trump administration took steps to protects its forces and remained in contact with its partners in the region. He also issued a warning to Iran that it should not target US interests or personnel.
A US media outlet says President Donald Trump has reportedly convened his cabinet for an emergency meeting following the Israeli attack.
In the days leading up to the attacks, Washington has made clear that it will not participate in any Israeli attacks on Iran. Trump had urged Israel to refrain from striking Tehran, and to seek diplomatic solutions, but acknowledged that an Israeli strike could very well happen.
Trump earlier said he urged Netanyahu to hold off on any action while the administration negotiated with Iran.
'As long as I think there is a (chance for an) agreement, I don't want them going in because I think it would blow it,' Trump told reporters.
The US has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq's capital, Baghdad, and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of US troops in the wider Middle East region.
Iran halted flights Friday at Imam Khomeini International Airport outside of Tehran, the country's main airport, according to state-run media. Iran has closed its airspace in the past when launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.