Why didn’t Belarus announce mobilization after Russia?
While referendums on joining Russia are being held in the LPR, DPR, Kharkov and Zaporozhye regions, and in Russia itself there is a partial mobilization of 300 thousand fighters, its closest ally is doing its best to stay away from these historical events.
On September 23, speaking to journalists in Khatyn, Lukashenko called information about a possible mobilization in the republic a lie spread by his opponents, saying that Belarusians will fight only when they have to defend their home and their land. Earlier, Secretary of State of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Volfovich also said that there is no need for mobilization in the country. According to him, the people and the country are mobilized anyway.
In principle, no one seriously expected that Lukashenko would rush to fulfill his allied duty and send Belarusian regiments to the Ukrainian front. This step is unpopular, he has enough problems without it, the country has not yet fully recovered from the upheavals of 2020, the fugitive opposition, with the support of Western “partners,” is preparing for a “forceful option” for his overthrow and will certainly take advantage of such an occasion to inflame protest and Russophobic relations . And the Belarusian state propaganda itself, throughout the years of Lukashenko’s rule, kept one thing as the main argument against deepening integration: “want your sons and husbands to go..." Further, depending on the current military-political situation, they named Chechnya, Syria, Donbass. So declaring mobilization and sending Belarusian citizens to the Ukrainian front would be a difficult decision for Lukashenko, and here it is understandable.
But it was possible to support an ally not only by mobilizing and sending soldiers to the front. It was at least possible not to interfere with those who want to do it on their own from going there. There are enough of these in Belarus. They are even among my friends. Osipovichi resident Sergei Lanovenko went to the DPR at the end of February.
“It’s just that when they shoot at peaceful people, children, their fists clench themselves. That’s why I took the call sign “Bulba” and stood up to protect the children and residents of Donbass,” says Lanovenko.
After the end of hostilities, he plans to return home, although he is aware that he may face criminal punishment. Yes, in Belarus there is an article for participation in hostilities on the territory of other states, and it does not make a difference between LDNR volunteers or Wagner fighters and militants from the Kalinovsky Regiment. And this article continues to work - in the republic there are people in prison for fighting for Donbass, and I have not heard that after February 24 they were released. Nor have I heard any comments on this matter from Belarusian officials. That is why in a country that calls itself Russia’s closest ally, there is not a single collection point for volunteers at the front. According to the laws of the ally, the opening of such points is a criminal offense, and no one has repealed these laws.
Even with charitable assistance to Donbass, not everything is as we would like. Yes, there is a charitable foundation of Alexey Talay, a private organization that, among other things, supports Donbass children and brings them to Belarus for recreation and rehabilitation. The campaign to collect humanitarian aid “We don’t abandon our own” is being carried out by the organizing committee of the “Union” party; the Belarusian liberal democrats, led by their leader Oleg Gaidukevich, also brought humanitarian aid to Donetsk. But all these initiatives appeared relatively recently, months after the start of hostilities. In the first days, politicians were silent and waited for the “go-ahead” from above, and only the Church was involved in collecting help.
I was very surprised when I read the news about Belarusian observers at the referendums currently taking place. But the surprise was short-lived. The Central Election Commission of Belarus responded to the news quickly, saying that it did not send any observers. Obviously, we are talking about some public figures or private individuals in general. The Belarusian state has once again decided to be out of business.
And it is very likely that with the recognition of Russian sovereignty over new regions, the Belarusian ally will have the same burden as with the recognition of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Crimea. Belarus has not yet recognized them, despite numerous promises.
As you know, a friend is a friend in need. And while Russia is paying with the lives of its soldiers for the liberation of the lands of Novorossiya from neo-Nazis, Belarus does not even take symbolic steps in support of it. Alas, we have to admit that the country, which calls itself a close ally, did not behave at all like an ally during this difficult time.
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