Lukashenka lies under Russian tanks

Today Russian president Dmitry Medvedev together with Alyaksandr Lukashenka observe the large-scale Russian-Belarusian drills Zapad 2009 (West 2009) at Baranavichy firing range.

The visit of Dmitry Medvedev to Belarus is to last one day, and it is still unknown whether the bilateral talks of the two leaders are expected. During his recent speech in Pittsburgh University, Russian president noted that “in the closest time on return from the US” he plans to “discuss all kinds of issues” with Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

However, yesterday a representative of the Russian Embassy in Minsk told to Radio Svaboda that Dmitry Medvedev is to attend the military exercise only.

“Combat actions are to take place in front of the presidents. Paratroopers are to land there. Then an award-giving ceremony is to take place. Talks are not on the agenda,” a representative of the Embassy said.

In anticipation of the presidents’ arrival, the troops have held several rehearsals in Baranavichy already. The press-service of the Defence Ministry confirmed that the drills Zapad 2009 are to end today. About 6,000 Russian troops taking part in the manoeuvres are to start leaving the territory of Belarus on September 30.

The spokesperson of the Defence Ministry Vyachaslau Ramenchyk noted: “Today a task of a defence operation of the regional grouping of Belarus and Russia is to be learnt complexly. Most of the exercises are to be held in Obuz-Lesnovski firing range near Baranavichy”.

Before the meeting Russian mass media inform that over the last month the list of Russia and Belarus’ claims has grown.

As “Kommersant” has found out, serious problems are faced also by the common anti-missile system creation. The agreement on creation of the common regional air defence system was signed by Medvedev and Lukashenka back in February, but the document has not been ratified yet. The Belarusian side asks for large beneficial deliveries of Russian armaments and placing orders of the Russian Defence Ministry at Belarusian plants as a precondition, which do not suit Moscow at all.

The contradictions in the energy sphere still exist as well. Minsk hasn’t extinguished the debt for Russian gas deliveries. The problem is that Moscow and Minsk interpret the results of April gas talks in diametrically opposed ways. There is no clarity in the issue of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which independence Lukashenka promised to recognize last year.

The issue of Russian loans is still very acute for Lukashenka. Attempts of the Belarusian side to use alternative credit recourses from the West are not really successful. It means that to receive Russian loans is as important for Belarusian government as never before. But Moscow does not rush do help Minsk however.

Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has a special opinion about that. He says that the Belarusian economy could become insolvent in the end of 2009, or beginning of 2010 because of the great number of loans. As said by him, in 2011 the increase of payments on the loans could make more than 1 billion dollars.

In this situation, as said by political analyst Andrei Fyodarau, it is important for Lukashenka to maintain subsidizing of Belarus in the form of cheap energy resources, to maintain sales markets for Belarusian products and transit. But under what conditions Russia could make concessions in these issues?

“First of all, Russia needs Belarus to be manageable in its foreign policy. In this respect, these drills are a “good” step. It is a demonstration that we are ready to lie under tanks, but not to let them approach Moscow,” the expert said in an interview to Radio Svaboda.

We remind that Zapad-2009 drills involve more than 12000 service personnel and some hundreds of units of military equipment. 6000 troops from Russia entered Belarus, which has never happened before.

The exercise will use 103 airborne devices (including 63 aircrafts and 40 helicopters), around 470 armoured fighting vehicles, 228 tanks, 234 self-propelled and towed artillery units, mortars and multiple launch rocket systems.

One of the aims of the exercises is armed conflicts liquidation. However, the democratic forces of Belarus are convinced that the exercises pose a threat to independence of Belarus.

Photo by rian.ru