Let Lukashenko Not Ask: "Why Me?"

• Vitaly Tsygankov
• 24.03.2026, 17:18

Belarus will become part of the chain of command of strikes against Ukraine and NATO countries.

Russia is going to install four long-range drone control stations in Belarus. This was reported by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, citing Ukrainian intelligence data.

Similar stations, according to Zelensky, may appear in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Earlier, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian side managed to disable several repeaters in Belarus, through which Russian drones were controlled, but then he did not disclose the details of these actions.

It should be immediately noted that the 3-4 stations Zelensky talks about look like system infrastructure. It's redundancy, it's coverage of different destinations, it's the ability to conduct multiple operations simultaneously. Therefore, if these plans are actually realized, the territory of Belarus will become a platform for managing strikes at quite long distances.

What does this mean in practice, in case it is actually done? First, Belarus will become even more involved in the Russian military infrastructure, even if it is not formally involved in combat operations. Belarus will become part of the strike control chain, not just "nearby neutral territory."

Second, the deployment of such stations makes them legitimate military targets for Ukraine. If Zelensky has already announced the destruction of some repeaters in Belarus, Ukraine will obviously do everything possible to destroy these new sites as well. Whether this will be done through the use of drones or some internal sabotage, either way it will escalate relations with Ukraine.

Third, such deployment increases Belarus' already excessive military and political dependence on Russia. After all, such facilities are clearly controlled by the Russian military and integrated into the overall control system of the Russian Federation. These same stations can control any drones - and those that can be launched not only towards Ukraine. Launching such drones, for example, into Poland on the orders of the Russian military leadership, would a Russian officer ask permission from the Belarusian leadership? A rhetorical question.

For the neighboring NATO countries, this will mean the expansion of the Russian military infrastructure in Belarus, which, of course, can cause a corresponding symmetric or asymmetric response. This could be reinforcement of troops on the border, new sanctions, deepening isolation - in any case, increasing tensions in relations.

So, assuming that the situation may escalate to a serious escalation, and any action will trigger the same asymmetric or non-asymmetric response - Lukashenko may then not ask: "And why me?"

Vitaly Tsygankov, Facebook