Description: Aleksandar Lukashenko has secured another mandate as the President of Belarus after a controversial vote confirmed his reelection in which he enjoyed the support of 87.6% of the people. Lukashenko is already more than 30 years in power in Belarus and has all his political opponents either exiled or imprisoned. He developed close ties with Russia and Vladimir Putin and has also banned all independent media in the country. The reelection was ill received by the European states which hope to weaken Russian allies, especially ones that are geostrategically important such as Belarus.
Impact: With the so – called “last European dictator” reelected, the Eastern European region would find itself in a prolonged crisis. Belarus as Russia’s regionally closest ally, would embolden further support and use of its territory in further Russian war offensives. Russia would substantially strengthen its presence in Belarus with close cooperation cutting even deeper than ever. This would enable the facilitation of further Russian influence in the region as Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban already being one of Russia’s larger supporters. Europe should embrace for further Russian covert action and infiltration operations as the level of hybrid threats is at its highest.