Vladimir Putin is running out of ways to win his war in Ukraine, and it’s making him a bit desperate.
Lately, this unnerving, trapped-in-a-corner situation has been manifesting itself as unhinged nuclear threats aimed at Ukraine and the western world both. Putin even added a cringe-worthy “this is not a bluff” at one point, although much of the global community continues to dismiss the idea of a Russian nuclear attack as unrealistic.
And so, Putin is now pulling all the strings he can in order to keep from losing this war, and it has Belarus up to some dirty tricks.
There are fears Belarus may be looking for an excuse to formally join the war on Ukraine after it accused Kyiv of planning to attack them.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, their ambassador in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, Ihor Kyzym, was summoned by Belarus’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and presented with a diplomatic note accusing Ukraine of “planning an attack on the territory of Belarus.”
Ukraine wasn’t having it.
“This information does not correspond to reality,” the Ukrainians insisted in an official statement published in English.
“We categorically reject yet another insinuation of the Belarusian regime,” they added, warning that they “do not rule out that the handing over of the diplomatic note may be part of the plan of the Russian Federation to carry out a provocation to further accuse Ukraine.”
Belarus is largely believed to be a shell-nation and a de facto offshoot of Russia, taking orders from the Kremlin. The inclusion of Belarus, particularly through the use of the Russian playbook’s “false flag” operation, should be viewed as nothing more than pure desperation on the part of Vladimir Putin.
