Russia reminds wayward ally Belarus of its economic muscle

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Thu Jul 7, 2016 2:35am EDT

Russia reminds wayward ally Belarus of its economic muscle

MOSCOW/MINSK | BY VLADIMIR SOLDATKIN AND ANDREI MAKHOVSKY

When Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko began trying to loosen his close ties with Moscow, fearing his country would be the next target.

Two years on, an abrupt drop in Russian oil supplies to the small ex-Soviet state may force Lukashenko into rethinking a policy that includes patching up relations with the West.

The Kremlin appears to be sending a message that, with the Belarus economy in recession and propped up by subsidized Russian oil and gas, Lukashenko will pay a heavy price if he wants to turn his back on his old friends in Moscow.

Ukraine regularly accused Russia of political intimidation by cutting energy supplies in the years leading to the 2014 annexation during disputes that Moscow said were commercial.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-belarus-idUSKCN0ZN0E3

[DetlefK]

1. Oh, Russia would start an all-out new Cold War with the West if Belarus dares to leave them.

Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. Those three countries are the cultural and historic heartland of the russian people as a whole.

Ukraine broke apart and to save this "cultural" Russia, russian paramilitaries invaded Crimea and the russian military is supporting the rebels in Eastern Ukraine.
"It's okay. It's okay. Calm down. We have saved Crimea and some of Ukraine. Cultural Russia is still somewhat intact. Battered, but still valid."

And don't worry: Russia still has Belarus! Russia is still important! Russia is still whole! Russia is still an empire!

Now imagine the freakout in the country Russia if Belarus, the only other remaining member of cultural Russia, decides to take a step backwards, away from Russia.

Without Belarus and Ukraine, what happens to cultural Russia? (Imagine the New England-states of the US seceding.)



And just as with Ukraine, Russia would think that this break-up was engineered by people who want to hurt Russia.
"Ukraine would never leave us! Somebody made them leave us!"
"Belarus would never leave us! Somebody made them leave us!"