Tsikhanouskaya warns Belarus could become launchpad for fresh Russian attacks on Ukraine
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Russia may use Belarusian territory to open a new front against Ukraine, citing existing drone support and logistics.
At a side event of the UN General Assembly, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned that Russia might exploit Belarusian soil to launch a new offensive against Ukraine, describing the prospect as "a real possibility." She said Belarusian territory, logistics and infrastructure could be offered to Moscow if it seeks a northern attack route. Tsikhanouskaya highlighted that Belarusian LTE networks and repeater stations are already used to maintain stable signals for Shahed drones, and that additional repeaters are being placed along borders with Ukraine and EU states.
She added that more than 500 Belarusian companies produce optics, microchips and other components for Russia, and that the regime is helping the Russian e-commerce platform Wildberries build warehouses, which have become targets of Ukrainian drone strikes. The comments come amid Ukrainian warnings of a possible new front and recent Belarusian military drills near its western borders.
Why it matters
The warning signals a potential expansion of the Russia-Ukraine war that could draw Belarus deeper into the conflict.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage frames Belarus as a looming military launchpad for Russia, centrist coverage highlights a shift in Ukrainian attitudes and praises Belarusian people, while right-leaning coverage centers on Lukashenko’s personal anecdote about competing dictatorship jokes.
LEFT
Belarus is portrayed as a concrete threat that could enable new Russian attacks on Ukraine.
CENTER
The story is framed around Ukraine’s changed perception of Belarus and gratitude toward its people, downplaying any security threat.
RIGHT
The focus is on Lukashenko’s quirky claim about being a ‘bigger dictator’ and the close alignment with Putin.
The left emphasises
- a "real possibility" that Russia could use Belarusian soil for a new offensive
- Belarusian LTE networks and repeaters are already used to maintain signals for Shahed drones
- more than 500 Belarusian companies produce optics, microchips and other components for Russia
The right emphasises
- Lukashenko jokes with Putin about who is the "bigger dictator"
- the anecdote underscores the close alignment between Moscow and Minsk
- Lukashenko is highlighted as Europe’s longest-serving head of state
How this story developed
- Sep 10 Ukrainian forces begin new offensive in northern Donetsk, commander says
- Sep 12 Russia will hold a tightly-controlled parliamentary election from Sept 18-20, the first since the 2022 invasion and seen as a barometer of support for the war.
- Sep 15 Ukrainian troops repelled a Russian assault on Lyman.
- Sep 16 Voting has begun, moving the election from planning to execution.
- Sep 19 Putin framed the election as a plebiscite on the war and called on citizens to turn out in support.
- Sep 19 State pollster VTsIOM said Putin’s trust rating hit 74.2% in the week before the election.
- Sep 21 Election commission chair Ella Pamfilova said preliminary results will be announced Monday at 11 hours (10 hours in Paris).
- Sep 21 Partial results show United Russia holding at least 338 of the 450 Duma seats.
- Sep 21 Preliminary results show United Russia winning 355 of the 450 State Duma seats, surpassing its previous 2016 high. The foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway issued a joint statement condemning elections held in Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions seized by Russia as violations of Ukraine's sovereignty. They demanded accountability for those organizing the vote and urged Russia to end its war and accept an unconditional ceasefire. The same period saw France support the removal of oligarch Alisher Usmanov from the EU sanctions list, a move backed by Slovakia and linked to broader negotiations over detained French nationals in Azerbaijan.
- Sep 21 The Quai d’Orsay condemns holding the vote in the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, calling it a violation of international law and the UN Charter and stating Fran
- Sep 21 Western allies issued a joint declaration condemning the election as a breach of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
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