Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition, speaking from Warsaw in a statement to the Lithuanian TV channel LRT, warned NATO countries that Russia could use the territory and infrastructure of Belarus to escalate tensions and carry out provocations against the Alliance. In her words, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, remains ready to provide Russian forces with territory and infrastructure for possible offensive or intimidation operations against NATO countries. The statement came against the backdrop of ongoing discussions in Europe about the security of the Alliance's eastern flank.
Data on Military Infrastructure and Oreshnik Missiles
Tsikhanouskaya reported that she had received data on the construction of new military infrastructure in Belarus — both along the border with Ukraine and along the borders with European Union countries. She paid particular attention to the deployment of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system: "We must be very careful — we see that infrastructure for Oreshnik missiles has been deployed in Belarus; they are threatening and blackmailing with nuclear weapons," she stated. Moscow and Minsk, it is noted, present the deployment of the system as part of efforts to strengthen joint security.
Lukashenko's Dependence on Putin
Tsikhanouskaya had previously spoken about the Belarusian leader's dependence on Vladimir Putin and Belarus's role in the war. As early as spring, amid threats of dragging Belarus into the war, she assessed the extent of this dependence, stating that no one but Putin himself could influence Lukashenko. Thus, in her logic, it is Moscow that determines the vector of Belarusian security policy, while Minsk serves as a platform for Russian operations.
Context: Visit to Kyiv and Accusations
The day before her appearance for LRT, Tsikhanouskaya visited the site of a strike in Kyiv and accused Lukashenko of involvement in the attack. These statements complement the picture the opposition leader paints of official Minsk: from readiness to provide territory for Russian operations to direct responsibility for strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Contradictory Data
It should be noted that Tsikhanouskaya's claims about the construction of new military infrastructure and the deployment of Oreshnik missiles are based on data she said she had received, and were not, at the time of the statement, confirmed by independent international fact-checking or official NATO sources. At the same time, the fact of the deployment of the Oreshnik system in Belarus had previously been acknowledged and described as an element of joint security between Moscow and Minsk. Thus, part of the statements are in the nature of an opposition leader's assessment, while part is based on publicly known facts.
