Fears grow regarding sovereignty of Belarus as Russia presses ahead with its invasion of Ukraine

Fears are growing of the sovereignty of Belarus as Russia presses ahead with its invasion of Ukraine.

Satellite imagery taken showed several large deployments of ground forces and about 150 transport helicopters in southern Belarus, about 20 miles from the border with Ukraine.

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The images showed one large helicopter deployment near the Belarusian town of Chojniki, which had over 90 helicopters parked on a road with the deployment extending for more than five miles.

Images also showed a large deployment of ground forces with several hundred vehicles in convoy position in several fields.

Autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko, in power for almost three decades, allowed Russian troops to use Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine from the north.

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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main challenger to Lukashenko in an August 2020 vote that was rejected as a sham by the opposition and the West, denounced the deployment as Lukashenko’s payback for Moscow’s support for his crackdown on post-election protests.

On Sunday, Belarus willhold a referendum seen as a bid for Lukashenko to further extend his stay in power and arrange an eventual transition.

The amendments proposed by the regime include a change to the post-Soviet status of neutrality of Belarus which would allow the country to host Russian nuclear weapons and Russian forces on a permanent basis.

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The Belarusian leader has increasingly relied on the Kremlin’s political and financial support amid bruising Western sanctions triggered by his crackdown on domestic protests, has called for closer defense ties with Moscow.

In recent weeks, Russia has moved troops from Siberia and the Far East to Belarus for sweeping joint drills.

The Kremlin-backed strongman Lukashenko after the elections, leaving him "dependent" on Putin to stay in power, said Olga Dryndova, editor of Belarus-Analysen at the Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen.

"Moscow does not need to make Belarus officially part of Russia, which would cause public discontent and resistance," she said.

"With Russian tanks in Belarus, Lukashenko could remain the face of the regime with the real power lying elsewhere."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday that Belarus and its people deserve better than to become the "accomplices and vassals" of Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to wage war.

"The complicity of Alexander Lukashenko's regime in the invasion of Ukraine by Russia -- in the most total disregard of international law and signed agreements -- marks a new and very serious stage in the process of the submission of Mr Lukashenko to Russia," he added.

Le Drian said NATO would have to "draw the consequences" of the referendum in the Alliance's defence stance. Belarus shares a border with NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as well as Ukraine and Russia.

(With inputs from agencies)