A document leaked to several media claims that Russia is planning to annex Belarus. According to the document, the goal would be a state led from the Kremlin.
Russia intends to annex Belarus, they say, for example Yahoo News (you are switching to another service), Süddeutsche Zeitung (you switch to another service) and Kyiv Independent (switch to another service). The Russian plan is said to be revealed by the Russian president Vladimir Putin from a document prepared by the administration, which has been leaked to several media.
The document is said to reveal a detailed plan drawn up by Russia, with which the country intends to take full control of Belarus by the end of the decade.
According to the document, the legal basis for the unification of the countries is the agreement concluded in 1999, according to which Russia and Belarus are in a state union with each other.
According to sources, Russia’s plan to unify the countries includes both long-term and short-term goals.
The first stages of the plan would include, for example, increasing Russian sentiment among the people and organizing joint military exercises.
In the longer term, Russia wants to introduce a common currency and taxation system and ensure the supremacy of the Russian language over Belarus.
According to the sources, all the plans emerging from the documents are aimed at forming a unified state led by the Kremlin.
Title updated on February 21, 2023 at 9:30 am