Military expert: Belarusian people understand well what big war and destroyed cities are

The people of Belarus agree with all initiatives of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, since they understand what could be at risk: the example of Ukraine is right on the border – as stated by Russian military observer Aleksandr Artamonov in his talk with the ONT TV channel   

Commenting on the protests in Kazakhstan in 2022, the expert expressed confidence that it was Western countries that were behind an attempt to destabilise the country last year. Moreover, as noted by Mr. Artamonov, the collective West would not stop, and further escalation is possible. “Kazakhstan is an unplayed card. This country has gained a certain margin of safety, but the situation is not completely over yet. It is like a virus that will necessarily look for some weak link,” he explained.

The expert compared the situation in Belarus in August 2020 and in Kazakhstan in 2022, “Actually, young states are always under attack. With this in mind, the Western countries put a stake on the explosion of the situation in Belarus. To a much stronger extent, this is Kazakhstan. We also know how it all happened in Ukraine. All these situations are links of a single chain. There is no difference for the collective West.”

Mr. Artamonov noted that the Belarusian people understand well what a big war is, “When countries go through such wars, they get a certain resilience. During the Great Patriotic War, Belarus lost many human lives, so the Belarusian people understand well what a big war is, what destroyed cities are, and they can witness the situation in Ukraine as an example – right at their border. This acts as a ‘vaccination’ against scenarios of the kind, against foreign interference. Belarusians agree with all initiatives of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, because people understand what is at risk. This is the key.”

The military expert also commented on the CSTO actions in Kazakhstan last year, “Belarus and Russia acted harshly and clearly in that situation. The CSTO showed its viability, demonstrating that it is not a stillborn organisation: it is rather capable of solving problems. The CSTO is a benchmark. It coped with an uprising inspired from abroad, eliminated the militants and immediately withdrew its troops from the territory of Kazakhstan. That was a big shock for our opponents, since they did not expect that to happen.”