Moscow will use any weaponry in its possession to retaliate for a potential attack on its main ally, Russia’s envoy says
Russia will treat any attack on Belarus as an aggression on itself, using all of its military capabilities to retaliate, Moscow’s envoy to the country, Boris Gryzlov, has warned.
Speaking to the Belarusian STV broadcaster, the diplomat, who had previously served as Russian interior minister, warned any third parties against attacking the country’s main ally.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly said that in the event of an attack on Belarus, we will treat this as an attack on Russia. The military doctrine of the Russian Federation entails, in such a case, a response with all our weaponry,” Gryzlov stated, apparently hinting at the option of nuclear weapons use.
Russia and Belarus have ramped up their military cooperation amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Earlier this year, Russia announced the deployment of its nuclear weapons in Belarus, following repeated requests from Minsk to do so. The Belarusian leadership cited aggressive Western policies towards the country and the perceived threat posed by US nuclear weapons, hosted by European allies in Washington.
As of late, Belarus has experienced tensions with its largest EU member-state neighbor, Poland. The two nations have seen their ties gradually deteriorate in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, which prompted mass protests in the country while its outcome was contested by the opposition. Warsaw, as well as the EU as a whole, openly backed the opposition in its ultimately unsuccessful effort to topple President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has apparently damaged the strained ties even further. Poland has angrily reacted to the deployment of Russian nukes as well as repeatedly sounded the alarm over the alleged activities of Wagner Group, a Russian private military company that ended up being re-deployed to Belarus following its botched insurrection in late June.
Warsaw claims the PMC has been increasingly active near its border, with PM Mateusz Morawiecki claiming they were “undoubtedly a step towards an upcoming hybrid attack on Polish territory.” Belarus, however, has denied such allegations, insisting Warsaw itself was “aggravating” the situation on behalf of the US.
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