Maybe China’s view that current divisions in Russia are an “illusion” is right (China downplays Wagner rebellion as Russia’s ‘internal affairs’, 26 July). Could we have just witnessed an incredible sleight of hand by the Russian president? What if Yevgeny Prigozhin’s coup was not intended for Russia, but Belarus?
Vladimir Putin has made no secret of his desire to reunify the old USSR. Former member Belarus shares long land borders with other former USSR states, specifically Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine. And while Belarus has shown itself to be a reliable Russian ally, Alexander Lukashenko is weak and Belarusian people have shown a preference for closer ties to Europe rather than Russia. With this in mind, it would be no surprise if Putin views the country as unreliable.
