QUESTION: What just happened in Belarus? We asked @kaltau Karl Altau from @JBANCchatter to sum it up. Follow this thread for the answer. nytimes.com/2020/08/09/wor…
ANSWER: "The so-called “election” farce in Belarus has overnight turned from elusive hope for peaceful protesters into dismay due to the violent reaction by the regime.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka (Alexander Lukashenko)* has again stolen the election from the people of Belarus.
Lukashenka is weak. The Kremlin prefers the status quo there and will do what it can so that their preferred balance of power remains.
Belarus is dependent on Russian energy, and the Russian security services have infiltrated Belarus domestically, according to reliable sources. Looking at the online disruptions and cyber outages in Belarus, I would not be surprised to see a Kremlin hand in that.
Putin and his cronies are certainly worried about a spillover effect that might embolden Russian citizens and hasten the end of the Putin regime.
It’s been very encouraging to see a new generation of citizens in Belarus who are tired of the “last dictator in Europe” and his quarter-century plus hold on power, and who are emboldened to act against it in a non-violent way.
The people of Belarus are back on the streets again today. Will their hopes die?"
(NOTE from @NatSecAnswers) This is of great concern to the U.S. in part because; while on the face of it it looks like a stinging defeat for Russia, since Lukashenka recently broke with the Kremlin, it, at the end of the day, may result in Russia taking advantage of the chaos.
Read more about Karl Altau and JBANC here: jbanc.org
If you have a question about national security, follow @NatSecAnswers. Send us your question and we'll get the answer. @threadreaderapp #A12
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