How Russia’s Ukraine Invasion Began with Belarus | Source Material

In the months before Russia invaded Ukraine, a crisis was brewing at the border between Belarus and Poland. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced in June 2021 that he would stop policing his country’s border with Poland, where thousands of desperate migrants had gathered in the hopes of reaching the EU. Lukashenko and Polish President Andrzej Duda each used state media to portray themselves as heroes and victims, while threatening to pull in their defence allies, Russia and NATO. Russia deployed 30,000 troops to Belarus and the countries began joint military exercises. Thousands of desperate asylum-seekers from war-torn countries like Iraq and Syria were caught in the middle. In this episode of Source Material, we see the countries’ propaganda machines at work, the proxy war of words that preceded the Ukraine invasion, and the dire and terrifying reality for asylum-seekers. Help keep VICE News’ fearless reporting free for millions by making a one time or ongoing contribution here. - ht