From 1956 to 1991, there were 15 Republics in the Soviet Union.
Most, if not all, of those republics didn't identify themselves as "Russian." As a matter of fact, when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, most republics couldn't declare independence fast enough. One of the former republics that is often cited as a close ally of Moscow is Belarus.
Over the last thousand years, there has rarely existed a "Belarus," but guess what? Belarus was often part of Lithuania or Poland, not Russia, even though there have been many Russification drives in Belarus over the past 2 centuries.
If you created a ballot for the average citizen of Minsk that read:
Would you like to be part of:
a. Lithuania
b. Poland
c. an Independent Belarus
d. Russia
There's a good chance that option (d) Russia, would come in a distant fourth. You think I'm a Lying American Dog? That's because you've been brain-washed by Putin and his toadie Alexander Lukashenko.
Last week, deep in the headlines, I saw a story:
I believe the story, but do I believe that Western Spy agencies leaked that out to the Daily Mail or Reuters? Very doubtful. I saw it as Western Propaganda trying to erode Lukashenko's rule in his homeland.
And it is working.
I am telling you, the citizens of Belarus don't want to die in Ukraine.
The citizens of Belarus don't want to be part of Russia.
The citizens of Belarus don't want close ties with the West.
At the end of World War II, nearly two-thirds of Belarus was destroyed by the Nazis. In many ways, Belarus is a brand new entity. In 1945, the population of Minsk had cratered to only 50,000. Belarus doesn't consider itself an ally of Germany, no way-no how. As a matter of fact, there's about a half dozen countries, that, if they were smart, would form their own Eastern Bloc. Belarus, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Ukraine together would have made an impressive political alliance. Now Ukraine is pissed at Russia because they invaded, but Ukrainians and Russians are brothers.
Those 6 countries want close ties to Russia (not Ukraine at the moment,) but don't want to be part of Russia.
I am rooting hard for Ukraine's sovereignty, I have been crystal clear on my position from the start. But now there's an undercurrent percolating in Belarus.....
If Putin would have just fostered alliances instead of eroding nearby sovereignties.
Belarus is yet another reason why Putin has to go.