Marek Butko: Belarusian ruler is afraid of getting toppled by Moscow

Lukashenka knows that unless he plays by Putin’s ruler, Belarus should expect a Crimea scenario.

This is how the deputy head of the Polish foundation ‘Freedom and Democracy’, former first secretary of Poland’s embassy in Minsk Marek Butko commented for the charter97.org web-site on the deployment of additional Russia’s military jets in Belarus.

“On the one hand, Aliaksandr Lukashenka wants to show himself a loyal ally to Putin and a protector of the “Union State’s” Western borders, that is why he is asking for extra Russian jets. It is still a question, whether it is him asking or Putin asking him to ask, so it looked better. The truth is that Russia wants to deploy extra jets, while Lukashenka was to act as if it is the will of the Belarusian state”, - he is convinced.

The politician pointed out that on the other hand there can be no doubt that what is taking place now in Ukraine and the Crime worries Lukashenka a lot.

“If today Russian troops are invading the Crimea, then one fine day the rule of the Belarusian dictator may fall out of favor with Russia, and its troops will invade Belarus. Lukashenka realizes that. That is why he has to play as Putin tells him to. Knowing the Belarusian dictator, I think that should he have an opportunity, he will bargain for some new missiles, arms or something else. This is beyond doubt”, - Marek Butko is convinced.

We would remind that yesterday at a meeting of the Security Council in Minsk the Belarusian dictator suggested that another 12 Russian combat jets were deployed in the territory of our country, and already today six Su-27 fighter jets and three military airlifters of the air forces of the Russian Federation landed in the airdrome in Babrujsk.