Belarus
Saturday 19 August 2017
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Viktor Litovkin
TASS military commentator
“[Western analysts] have written that these exercises will become a prelude for deployment in Belarus for a new Russian military base with Iskander M missiles and Su-30 destroyers.”
Read more...Since the Russian military used exercises near Georgia in 2008 and near Ukraine in 2014 as covers for invasions, apprehensions about Belarus are warranted. -
Alyaksandr Lukashenka
President of Belarus
"This is an open exercise and we invite or have already invited a huge number of observers. Please come and watch it."
Read more...Despite such assurances from Lukashenka and other officials from Russia and Belarus, the likelihood of Zapad 17 being transparent is unlikely. Since 1991, Russia has declared that every military drill it has conducted has included just under 13,000, a threshold over which Moscow would be obligated to invite outside observers. -
Andrei Kobyakov
Prime Minister, Belarus
“Russia is not upholding her part of obligations in the Eurasian Economic Union”
Read more...Belarus says it is not motivated to remain part of Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union due to Russia’s unwillingness to fulfill its obligations under the agreement that established the organization. A fact check shows Belarus is right.