On Friday, August 16th, it was reported that Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin had said there was “a high probability of an armed provocation from neighboring Ukraine and that the situation at their shared border ‘remains tense,’ [according to] the state-run Belta news agency . . .” [Lucy Papachristou, Reuters, August 16, 2024.]

He further stated, “. . . given the presence of Ukrainian armed formations in the border areas, there is a high probability of preparing and carrying out armed provocations on our territory, as well as high-profile actions, including with the involvement of Belarusian nationalist formations.” [Reuters, id.]

Belarusian President Lukashenko had said on the previous day that Ukraine could attack Belarus and widen the war. This comment came a little more than a week after Ukraine’s surprise counterattack across Russia’s border into the Kursk region.

Do they really have evidence that Ukraine might be planning to spread its troops that thin? Is Lukashenko — one of Vladimir Putin’s most ardent henchmen — simply looking for an excuse to jump with both feet into his idol’s war? Or is it just another propaganda ploy engineered by Putin himself for some as-yet-unknown reason?

For Lukashenko, any of these theories would be within the realm of possibility. I know nothing about Defense Minister Khrenin, but I presume he just follows orders like a good little sycophant.

In any event, thus far Ukraine doesn’t seem to have given any indication of an intention to go anywhere near Belarus’ territory. So perhaps Lukashenko and Khrenin should stop looking for a fight like bullies on a playground, and try to de-escalate, for once.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/18/24