'Counterterrorism operation state' declared in Belarus after Minsk claims 'neighboring countries' planning 'provocations'
Update: the Belarusian KGB has denied Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei’s report that a “counterterrorism operation state” was declared. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told journalists that a “state of heightened terrorist threat” is in place, which is “in line with the documents the Union State of Belarus and Russia has for such cases" of "aggravation."
A “counterterrorism operation state” has been declared in Belarus after reports of possible “provocations” from “neighboring countries,” Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei told the Russian newspaper Izvestia on Friday.
According to Makei, Lukashenko made the decision after attending multiple meetings with Belarusian security agencies. “There was information about certain neighboring states planning provocations associated almost with the capture of certain sections of Belarusian territory,” the minister said.
Makei didn’t say who was allegedly planning the “provocations."
On October 9, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry reported that the previous day, Ukrainian Ambassador to Belarus Ihor Kyzym had been called to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry and handed a note that said that Ukraine was planning an attack on Belarusian territory.
On October 13, the Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva reported that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is conducting a “covert mobilization” under the guise of a “combat capability check,” hoping to avoid the level of backlash Vladimir Putin’s mobilization announcement provoked in Russia.
The (other) dictator on Ukraine's doorstep
In 2020, after a botched response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a presidential election rife with procedural violations, Belarusians came closer than ever before to ridding the country of its then-26-year dictator. Soon, however, Alexander Lukashenko crushed the opposition with unprecedented brutality by harnessing the power of the security state. But some law enforcement officers refused to take part, losing their careers and homes as a result.
