THREAD 1/7 By supporting Lukashenko, Putin confirmed that the legitimacy of any foreign regime is calculated not by the transparency of procedures or the popularity of the leader, but by whether or not the previous distance between that country and the West is preserved. 
2/7 Putin’s attitude toward the Belarusian regime sheds light on how he sees his own power and its inherent potential for the use of force. bit.ly/3hQSjsH
3/7 Satisfied that Lukashenko was indeed determined enough, and that there was no division, the Kremlin made the decision once and for all to support him. After all, there’s no other visible candidate who would better guarantee the Union State that Russia and Belarus form
4/7 The conundrum for Russia of a “friendly people versus a friendly regime” in Belarus has been solved using the most primitive means: of the two friends, the real one was declared to be the regime. bit.ly/3hQSjsH
5/7 This is the conclusive geopoliticization of any internal political activity. It simplifies any unpleasant decision: elections, for example, are not a question of power, or an expression of feedback between the public and the government, but an act of defensive foreign policy
6/7 Demands for freedom can be accommodated—as long as they don’t conflict with the task of maintaining the geopolitical equilibrium. The same goes for the demands of the Russian people bit.ly/3hQSjsH
7/7 Both Belarusians and Russians are a resource in the resistance to the global hegemony, so the most important thing is that this precious resource doesn’t fall into the wrong hands bit.ly/3hQSjsH
