Zmitser Bandarenka: Hundreds Of Russian Warplanes Could Fly To Belarus Any Moment

The statement of Russian general Leonid Ivashov is a grossest infringement on the sovereignty of a country violation of Belarus, and any normal government would call the ambassador of Russia onto the carpet.

It was said in the interview to charter97.org by a coordinator of the civil campaign European Belarus Zmitser Bandarenka, as he commented on the statements of the former chief of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Directorate for International Military Cooperation Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, who said that Russia should not allow “pro-Western” politicians’ coming to power in Belarus.

– What is your evaluation of such statements by a well-known Russian military and public person?

– I would like to comment these words as a grossest infringement on the sovereignty of a country violation of Belarus, and any normal government would call “onto the carpet” the ambassador of the country, which representative would allow oneself to make such a statement. As the question who is to be elected in Belarus, and who should come to power in our county – it’s an affair of the Belarusian nation, and in no case of Russian generals.

– Colonel-General Ivashov also touched upon the topic of the Russian airbase in Belarus, noting that the legal bearings of the case are of no importance, and the main thing is to preserve a status quo, according to which Russia would be able to move troops to Belarus at any moment.

– Colonel-General Ivashov is a very serious figure in Russian military and political circles, so his words should be taken more than seriously.

In fact, Colonel General Ivashov confirmed the statement made in the end of the past year by Belarus’ Defense Minister Andrei Raukou. It was a statement that attention should not be fixed on the Russian airbase in Belarus, as anyway we have a joint military grouping with Russia, and Belarusian airfields are in good condition – hundreds of Russian military aircrafts can fly to these airfields when necessary.

The legal status of the airbase is certainly important for Russia, but obviously Lukashenka has managed to persuade Putin and the Russian leadership that it would hinder him from receiving loans from the West.

One can often hear from Western politicians that Lukashenka is following some “independent policy” and that is why he is opposing deployment of the Russian airbase in Belarus. But the words of the defense minister of Belarus, the words of the former head of one of the agencies of the defense ministry of Russia are showing that the reality is entirely different actually.

I would like to remind the recent statement of Oleksandr Turchynov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, that Russian military aircrafts and helicopter are already deployed in Belarus.