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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Joe Sommerlad

Why is Belarus supporting Russia and how is it involved in Ukraine?

Sputnik/AFP/Getty

Belarus, the authoritarian state lying to the north of Ukraine, appears to be playing an increasingly prominent supporting role in Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Russia’s western neighbour.

Having already welcomed 30,000 Russian soldiers for military drills in the run-up to Mr Putin declaring war a week ago, Belarus’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, has since allowed the aggressor’s planes to take off from his country’s airports, changed the constitution to allow for the hosting of Russian strategic nuclear weapons and been accused by the Ukrainian parliament of moving forces into Chernihiv.

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