Not just Ukraine: How the fate of Belarus is linked to the war between two of its neighbours

While President Lukashenko backs Putin’s war for his own survival, many Belarusians do not and the opposition movement is anxiously watching events in Ukraine, reports Amanda Coakley

Friends indeed: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin (EPA)

When the Belarusian embassy evacuated its staff from Ukraine, the head of the border guard service, Serhiy Deyneko, had a parting gift for Minsk’s Ambassador Igor Sokol and his colleagues: 30 pieces of silver.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, Belarus has played a Judas-like role, sacrificing the little sovereignty it had left to be used as a staging ground for the Russian assault on Kyiv.

Belarusian border guards have let Russian troops move through the frontier, the country’s air defence and traffic control systems have assisted Moscow’s campaign, and Russia’s dead and wounded have filled hospitals in southern Belarusian cities.