Sky. Airplane. Lukashenko

The history of the failed military base in quotes

The Russian military base in Belarus is something like erotic imagination. Once upon a time, it became clear to everyone that there would be no base. Moreover, no one has been leading in Russia for a long time, except for hypothetically: but it would be good ... But it would be good ...

So last week, it was worth Sergei Lavrov in an interview with Kommersant to call Belarus to place the Russian military base with an “unpleasant episode”, as journalists and analysts began to seriously talk about some secret negotiations, the result of which was the categorical refusal of Minsk. Yes, there were no negotiations. And there was no refusal, and consent too. There was nothing at all.

The military base is really a fantasy. And they discussed it for six years in a row exclusively as a fantasy.

Recall the chronology. It all started on April 23, 2013, when Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu flew to Minsk and after a meeting with Alexander Lukashenko told reporters: “We began to consider plans to create a Russian aviation base with fighter aircraft. We hope that by 2015 an air regiment will appear here. In 2013, we will create an aviation commandant’s office and put the first duty link of combat fighters. ”

Well, yes, it was a sensational news, only exactly two days later Alexander Lukashenko denied Shoiga with the most innocent look:

“As for the aviation base - maybe it sounded like a“ base ”. No. We are talking about delivery. We buy Russian Su-27, MiG-29 aircraft or more modern to ensure the inviolability of the borders of our state. As a commander in chief today, two dozen modern aircraft are missing today. ” Then the president explained that these aircraft are also not just enough, just to strengthen security measures during the future of the World Hockey Championship. And a few days later, Lukashenko met with Nikolai Patrushev and pleased him that “recently, these issues were discussed very seriously with the Russian Defense Minister. We have achieved certain results. I think your visit will be consolidating these agreements. ”

Then again - silence and bewilderment: no one agreed on anything like that.

A year later, when the war in Ukraine began, Alexander Lukashenko again said that he was ready to place Russian planes in Belarus due to NATO intelligence activity: “We have recently, and this is a fact, we are observing the escalation of the conflict. This escalation is no longer in Syria, not in Libya and not in Iraq.

This is already at our borders, it already affects our interests, and we, like mice under a broom, have no right to sit. ”

It was March 12, 2014. On March 15, joint military duty on air defense began. To do this, the Russian A-50 A-50 radar detachment was relocated to the military airfield in Baranavichy. In Russia, they started talking about the fact that the deployment of the base has begun. In Ukraine - that the offensive can begin from the Belarusian border. On March 17, the Commander -in -Chief of the Russian Air Force, Viktor Bondarev, said that by the end of the year, Baranovichi would be placed an air regiment of 24 fighters. And in August, Alexander Lukashenko again said that there were no Russian aircraft on Belarusian land .

The theme of the air base has disappeared from conversations and quotes for a whole year. By that time, everyone understood that it was more fantasy than a prospect. And in September 2015, Vladimir Putin signed an order to create a Russian air base in Belarus : “ To accept the proposal of the Government of the Russian Federation on signing an agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on the Russian aviation base in the Republic of Belarus.” Alexander Lukashenko answered this during a meeting with labor collectives of the Minsk region:

“I had no conversation with anyone. It’s just that it surprises me and even to some extent outrages and offends me why it was Russians today to throw in the media? Maybe they are worried that we really go to the West to throw this topic so that the West begins to ask us or doubt that we want to normalize relations with them? ”

After the exchange of quotes, a lull came again - as much as three years. The order of the President of Russia remained unfulfilled. Only last year, after the consent of Poland, to place the US military base, Alexander Lukashenko spoke twice within two November days, and the second quote, as often happens with him, completely refuted the first.

On November 4, he told the working people of the Orsha region: “I said to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland: we are not going to fight, so we don’t need to create extra bases. Otherwise, the Russians and I will have to answer. So, we will be forced to place something in order to counteract. ”

And two days later, the group of American analysts said something opposite: “We do not place this base here not because we want to show you or someone that we are sovereign and independent. We do not place it, because it is not needed here. ” Since then, not a word about the base.