Moscow has signaled its intent to treat Belarus as a core component of its security architecture, underscoring the goal of firmly embedding Belarus within Russia’s strategic orbit. To explore this concept, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Minsk for talks with Belarusian leaders, including Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin and President Aleksandr Lukashenko. In the discussions, Lukashenko remarked that Moscow needs security guarantees from its ally, a sentiment echoed in subsequent exchanges with senior Russian officials.
Amid a sustained Russian military presence in Belarus, Moscow indicated plans to broaden cooperation. Shoigu stated during the visit that strategic matters concerning Russian army units stationed in Belarus, ongoing training, and potential expansion of the joint force would be reviewed. He thanked Minsk for its readiness to cooperate and noted the Belarusian authorities had expanded training capacity by contributing five shooting ranges within Belarus for the training of Russian forces.
Since Russia’s broader invasion of Ukraine, speculation has persisted about Belarus joining the fight. Belarus has offered support to Moscow since the conflict began but has not yet deployed its own combat forces on the front lines. Even as Russian troops used Belarusian territory to execute initial offensives against Kyiv and Chernobyl, Belarus’s leaders have stressed that sanctions and economic penalties have weighed on their economy as a consequence of their alignment with Russia.
as if it was the same country
Experts have long debated the likelihood of a full political and economic union between Russia and Belarus. While formal unification remains distant, practical ties have deepened. For example, it is relatively easy for Russian and Belarusian citizens to cross borders; a national passport suffices, akin to a regional identification document in some parts of Europe. In early March, Minsk and Moscow agreed that foreigners holding Belarusian visas or residence permits may enter Russia with the same documents, broadening mobility across the two states and reinforcing the idea of closer integration. The arrangement effectively allows residency and travel rights to be shared more readily by people connected to either country.
Today both states participate in the Union State project, an initiative aimed at synchronizing political and economic policy and, in theory, moving toward greater monetary coordination. While each country maintains its own currency—two separate ruble systems traceable to the Soviet era—the broader project continues to emphasize interoperability and shared governance in security, economy, and infrastructure. This evolving framework reflects a broader trend of closer, though not complete, alignment between Minsk and Moscow as they navigate regional stability, sanctions pressure, and strategic competition on the European continent. [Citation: official statements from Belarusian and Russian defense ministries; analyses by regional security researchers.]