May 26, 2023 | The Telegraph
Putin’s mini-Nato is falling apart
As Moscow's allies turn their backs, now is time for NATO states to expose CSTO as nothing more than an empty shell
May 26, 2023 | The Telegraph
Putin’s mini-Nato is falling apart
As Moscow's allies turn their backs, now is time for NATO states to expose CSTO as nothing more than an empty shell
Excerpt
Russia has moved ahead with its plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus: the first time Russia will store part of its nuclear arsenal in another country since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
On the face of it, it signals strength. The truth is the opposite. The day of the original announcement back in March was Belarus Freedom Day – an unofficial holiday celebrated by the oppressed Belarusian opposition. The decision was deliberately timed to try and sure-up an unstable country in case it echoes Ukraine in tipping Westwards in the years ahead.
Ivana Stradner is a Research Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. You can hear her interview on Russian propaganda on the Telegraph’s daily podcast ‘Ukraine: The Latest’ here. Follow her on Twitter @ivanastradner. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.