The intervention by the Belarus leader, Alexander Lukashenko, to step in and help end the apparent mutiny by the Wagner Military Group cast a light on Russia’s neighbour. In recent years, Minsk has come to be seen as Moscow’s junior partner, with many now calling it a vassal state. But is this really an accurate depiction of what is, by all accounts, an extraordinarily strange and complex relationship?

Following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic became an independent state. However, the Republic of Belarus shares close ethnic, linguistic, religious, social and historical ties with neighbouring Russia. So much so that the two countries even signed an agreement to forge a single entity, the Union State of Russia and Belarus. And yet, while this was originally driven by Lukashenko (sometimes known by this Belarusian surname, Lukashenka), this hasn’t happened. This is largely due to personal difficulties with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Indeed, for many years, they had a rather tense and distant relationship. However, all this changed in 2020 after Lukashenko stole the presidential election. In the face of growing public protests, he called on Russia to help quell the uprising. As a result, Lukashenko was effectively brought under Russian control. But as the war in Ukraine has shown, this relationship continues to be extremely complex. So, should we think of Belarus as merely a Russian satellite, or is there more to it than this?

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*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:52 Vassal States in International Relations
02:09 Belarus and Russia: Location, Population and Relations
03:31 A Short History of Belarus
04:25 The Union State of Russia and Belarus
06:12 Lukashenko-Putin Relations and Tensions
07:44 Lukashenko Turns Back to Russia
09:18 Belarus and the Ukraine War
11:27 Is Belarus the Vassal State of Russia?

*SOURCES AND FURTHER READING*
President of Belarus
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President of Russia
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Union State Treaties | United Nations
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Belarus Attitudes to Ukraine War | Chatham House
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- The contents of this video and any views expressed in it were not reviewed in advance nor determined by any outside persons or organisation.
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