Russia is attacking Ukraine, but Belarus, a neighboring country, is “the other aggressor in this war,” European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said on Feb. 27, 2022.
One politician, Alexander Lukashenko, has ruled Belarus with a draconian hand for the last 28 years, with no interruption in power. And now, Lukashenko is supporting Russia in the war, reciprocating Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent help in maintaining his own political power.
Putin is using Belarus as a staging ground for his war, which has resulted in at least 500 Ukrainian civilian deaths, and caused more than 1 million people to flee the country. Russian troops have crossed into Ukraine through the Belarusian border in the north.
