Belarus could become launchpad for Russian provocations against NATO
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (photo: Getty Images)
Russia may use the territory of Belarus to escalate tensions and carry out provocations against NATO countries, according to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in an interview with LRT.
According to Tsikhanouskaya, who is in Warsaw, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, remains ready to provide territory and infrastructure for a possible Russian offensive or intimidation operations against the Alliance.
She said that she had received information about the construction of new military infrastructure in Belarus, both near the border with Ukraine and along the borders with European Union countries.
"We must be very cautious – we see that the infrastructure for Oreshnik missiles is deployed in Belarus. They are threatening and blackmailing with nuclear weapons," Tsikhanouskaya said.
Russia has deployed its Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile system in Belarus - Moscow and Minsk present this as part of efforts to strengthen joint security.
Tsikhanouskaya has previously spoken about Lukashenko's dependence on Putin and Belarus's role in the war. Back in the spring, she assessed Lukashenko's dependence on Putin amid threats of Belarus being drawn into the war, saying that no one except Putin himself could influence the Belarusian leader.
And the day before that, she visited the site of a strike in Kyiv and accused Lukashenko of involvement in the attack.
