Tadeusz Giczan, CEPA:
Days before Shoigu’s unheralded arrival, the seemingly healthy 64-year-old Belarusian Foreign Minister, Uladzimir Makei, Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s main point of contact with the West, passed away. Against this background, Shoigu’s sudden visit was seen by many as ominous proof that Vladimir Putin had finally pressured Lukashenka into going to war, that opponents were being removed, and that Shoigu had come to sort out the details.
How true is this, and are we really on the verge of Belarus joining the war?