Putin is going to drag Belarus into ground warfare
Ukrayinska PravdaDec 18, 2022
Day 299: Putin Heads to Belarus as Russian Drones Again Rock Kyiv
Image copyright: AP Photos [via AP News]
The Facts
Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin on Monday headed to Belarus for a "working trip," sparking fears that he intends to pressure Belarusian president — Alexander Lukashenko — to join his military campaign in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia again launched a wave of pre-dawn drone attacks on Kyiv. City officials said damage was inflicted in the districts of Solomianskyi and Shevchenkyvskyi, and that an unspecified infrastructure facility was hit. There were no reports of civilian casualties.
The Spin
Narrative B
The Belarusian Pres. has repeatedly said he will not commit forces to fight in Ukraine and, even if reinforced by Belarus, Russia lacks the capability to plan and execute a large-scale military offensive in the coming months.
Nerd narrative
There's a 7% chance that Russian or Belarusian troops will cross the land border between Belarus and either the Volyn or Rivne oblasts by 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
