Ex-Advisor To Putin: Lukashenka Could Go To Forest To Pick Mushrooms And Never Return

Europe should reconsider its strategy towards Belarus.

“Former adviser to Vladimir Putin, Andrei Illarionov, warns against a new annexation that Moscow can commit. According to him, Belarus is not protected and remains at greater risk than Ukraine. NATO and EU strategies towards Russia, according to former adviser to the Kremlin head Vladimir Putin Andrei Illarionov, appear to have failed,” writes German publication Die Welt (translation - inopressa.ru). Journalist Christoph B. Schilz spoke with the expert.

“The real strategy of NATO and the EU is to restore international order - namely, in the form in which it existed before the Russian aggression in Georgia in 2008 and in Ukraine in 2014. These goals have not yet been achieved,” Illarionov said.

“The plans for containment of [Russia - Ed.] with regard to the Baltic states and other states neighboring Russia represent a noticeable change in NATO’s strategy: instead of responding to aggression, preventive measures are taken and multinational combat groups are sent there. However, more needs to be done,” the interlocutor said.

According to Illarionov, in Europe, Belarus is under the greatest threat from Moscow. “The country is not a member of NATO or another military alliance, it does not have effective protection,” he emphasized. “The question arises of what NATO will do and whether it will do anything if Belarus is attacked and annexed.”

Answering the journalist’s question about what measures Moscow could apply in relation to Belarus, Illarionov said: “For example, Lukashenka could go to the forest to pick mushrooms - and never return. In the past, we saw that Moscow has many opportunities to eliminate people.”

According to the expert, Lukashenka has ruled in Belarus for 25 years, and he has no successor. “There are no effective parties and no parliament either,” Illarionov emphasized.