Belarusians takes up arms to free Ukraine from Putin, themselves from Lukashenko: Reports

As the Russian onslaught in Ukraine continues unabated on the 89th day, the Belarusian nationals are taking up arms to support the war-ravaged country from the Russian aggression, despite the fact that Minsk has been blamed for supporting Russia in the latter's military operation in Ukraine. Some of its citizens have fled the country and joined the International Legion for Ukraine's Territorial Defense to support the country. Earlier in the war, Russian troops utilized Belarusian soil to invade Ukraine, and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has publicly defended Vladimir Putin, even calling him his "big brother."

Notably, Belarusians are criticizing President Lukashenko for his support of Russia. The Belarusian volunteers believe that weakening Putin will weaken Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994 and provide an opportunity to overthrow his tyrannical administration and bring democratic reform to the country of roughly 10 million people.

Vadim Prokopiev, a 50-year-old businessman who used to own restaurants in Minsk left the nation after hearing that he would be arrested for openly criticizing the government's lack of support for small enterprises. He stated that when the battle in Ukraine ends, the war in Belarus will commence, according to AP. He said, "When the Ukraine war will be eventually over, our war will just start. It is impossible to free the country of Belarus without driving Putin's fascist troops out of Ukraine.” 

Meanwhile, Poland, a country bordering Belarus and Ukraine became a haven for pro-democracy Belarusian dissidents before becoming a home for war refugees from Ukraine. Some of the Belarusian fighters have already arrived in Poland, while others are passing through in transit on their route to Ukraine.

Belarus' Kastus Kalinouski Battalion

It is pertinent to mention here that a battalion of Belarusian fighters named the Kastus Kalinouski Battalion is also present in Poland. Meanwhile, approximately 200 Kastus Kalinouski members are now serving on Ukraine's front lines, according to media reports. As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has progressed, these fighters have received military weapons from the Ukrainian military and NATO countries. The recruiters of the  Kastus Kalinouski Battalionwill have not accepted all Belarusians who have applied to join the battalion. Given the group's mission's obvious risk, candidates must go through a rigorous vetting process to filter out potential security concerns.

(Inputs from AP News)

Image: AP