3년 만에 벨라루스 직접 방문한 푸틴 우크라 전쟁에 대한 새로운 우려
President Vladimir Putin visited Belarus for a summit, stoking concerns that Russia could push the country into the war on Ukraine.
In the meantime, Moscow launched fresh drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital's energy grid.
Kim Yeon-seung has the latest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a rare visit to Belarus on Monday.
This was his first trip there since 2019 to meet with his close ally, Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko.
Putin later said the two leaders discussed creating a “unified defense space,” without detailing what this meant.
The visit has stoked fears about whether Russia is going to drag Belarus into its war on Ukraine.
According to the Russian state-owned media outlet RIA Novosti News, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such claims are "groundless" and even "stupid."
But the Belarusian leader Lukashenko for years has been relying heavily on Russia's support to maintain his 28-year-long grip on power.
And Belarus last week, said it was once again checking its troop's combat readiness.
The last time it did that was just days before Russia staged an attack on Ukraine from Belarusian territory.
In light of this news, Ukraine is bolstering its defenses.
Ukraine's Deputy Interior Minister told BBC news that Ukrainian forces are padding their side of the Belarusian border with extra troops and ammunition.
This comes, as Putin has put it, amid an "extremely difficult" time for Russia in the Russian-annexed regions of Ukraine.
The Russian leader has rarely admitted to the war not going smoothly.
But on Tuesday local time, he ordered Federal Security Services to step up surveillance and combat to defend against new threats.
Meanwhile, Russia launched fresh "kamikaze" drone attacks targeting key energy infrastructure in and around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The Ukrainian military high command said their air defenses shot down most of the drones but the strikes that did land had caused sweeping blackouts, a critical loss of power amid sub-zero temperatures.
Kim Yeon-seung, Arirangon News
#Russia #Belarus #Arirang_News
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2022-12-20, 21:00 (KST)
