Belarusian President Lukashenko is visiting his Russian counterpart Putin in Moscow today. During that meeting, cooperation between the two countries and Russian troops stationed in Belarus could be discussed, says Colonel and Associate Professor Han Bouwmeester. “Russia has now moved those troops, the center of gravity of the war has changed.”
According to Bouwmeester, a Russian site reports that the meeting between the two presidents will discuss expanding the “strategic partnership” and “further integration of the union state,” the treaty both countries signed in 1997. It is also expected that the conversation will be about the soldiers Russia has stationed in Belarus.
center of gravity
An entire division of some 10,000 fighters, including tanks, was recently transferred from Belarus to the Ukrainian city of Luhansk. This means that a large part of the Russian army has been removed from Belarus,’ explains Bouwmeester. “This affects President Lukashenko because he relies heavily on Putin’s power.”
According to the senior professor of military strategy, it also implicitly indicates that the center of gravity of the Russian operation has changed. “You don’t just move a full division of 10,000 soldiers and 150 to 200 tanks. So a decision has clearly been made as to what the center of gravity of the operation should be,’ explains Bouwmeester.
Prestigious property
Meanwhile, heavy fighting is still going on in the Ukrainian town of Bachmut. According to Bouwmeester, the city is a ‘prestige object’ for Putin. Soldiers of the Russian Wagner Group mercenary army have largely been driven out of the city. They were replaced by well trained Russian soldiers. «Further from Bachmut, just beyond Donetsk, the front bends. The Russians have almost fought to the death there in recent weeks,” says Bouwmeester.
Source: BNR
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