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Old 21st Oct 2022, 21:00
  #10800 (permalink)  
fdr
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: 3rd Rock, #29B
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Belarus Axis

As risky as any attack from Belarus to Ukraine may appear, the one thing that they could do is a run down the inside of the Ukrainian-Polish border in an attempt to cut the MSR from the west for Ukraine. What level of defence Ukraine has there is unknown, but it certainly needs to be sufficient to stop that from occurring, and preferably from even starting. Time to get serious about stopping Lukashenko doing something silly. Belarus becoming a belligerent by the use of their territory or use of their soldiers would permit UN signatory states to take direct action against them in support of Art 51 of the UN Charter. That would be uncomfortable as an escalation, but is absolutely permissible and would only trigger Art. 5 of NATO if the response against any NATO country resulted in an attack on a NATO country. That is the mirror of the playbook that Russia has played since Feb 24. "I can kill you from my country, but don't dare retaliate as I will destroy you". Works for Russia, Belarus, not so much. Personally prefer to see Russia and Belarus defeated on Ukraines border, for which they need to be able to destroy any attack on their Belarus border.

Time for the Ukrainians to have everything available on hand in the NW too. If Belarus tried and was unsuccessful, that at least would be the end of Lukashenko, but Russia would try immediately to control Belarus, and that could result in a civil war mixed with an invasion by Russia. Yet another opportunity for Putin to kill his soldiers in his brilliant design.

IMHO
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