As the international community focuses on the tense dialogue between Moscow and Washington over the Ukraine conflict, the situation in Belarus is deteriorating. Since the onset of mass protests in Belarus in August 2020, the power of Aliaksandr Lukashenka – the country’s leader – has rested on two pillars. The first is the backing of the security forces and the loyal nomenklatura; the second is the support of the Kremlin. However, this Russian support, like cheese in a mousetrap, has its price. In exchange for financial and political assistance, Lukashenka is gradually being forced to make Belarus more dependent on its eastern neighbour.
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