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Salon
Salon
Politics
Tatsiana Kulakevich

Why Belarus is backing Russia

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko greets the troops during a military drill outside Brest, on Sept. 12, 2021. Maxim Guchek/BELTA/AFP via Getty Images

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.

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.

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