It is shocking that the West calls the incident in Belarusian airspace shocking , Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Russia has been steadily increasing its power and influence over its neighbor Belarus, but the countries leaders President Vladimir Putin and President Alexander Lukashenko are somewhat uncomfortable allies it s arguable that any allegiance is fragile at best, and borne out of necessity.
For Belarus, Russia is a powerful economic and political partner and a source of support, having backed Lukashenko s leadership which is now in its 27th year.
For Russia, Belarus offers an opportunity to exert economic and political influence in the region, and is a convenient bulwark against what it sees as the European encroachment upon its former territories, such as Ukraine. Putin is known to favor stability and predictability and, as such, a longstanding leader like Lukashenko in power who can potentially be more easily influenced
markets 35 mins ago It is shocking that the West calls the incident in Belarusian airspace shocking , Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Russia has been steadily increasing its power and influence over its neighbor Belarus, but the countries leaders President Vladimir Putin and President Alexander Lukashenko are somewhat uncomfortable allies it s arguable that any allegiance is fragile at best, and borne out of necessity.
For Belarus, Russia is a powerful economic and political partner and a source of support, having backed Lukashenko s leadership which is now in its 27th year.
For Russia, Belarus offers an opportunity to exert economic and political influence in the region, and is a convenient bulwark against what it sees as the European encroachment upon its former territories, such as Ukraine. Putin is known to favor stability and predictability and, as such, a longstanding leader like Lukashenko in power who can p