President Putin wants to set up airbase in Belarus but Belarus does not approve

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to establish a Russian military air base in neighboring Belarus. But, while Belarus does not approve of a Russian base, it is helpless because the former Soviet republic continues to remains dependent on Moscow for credit and energy. And, the Russian move would unnerve Poland and the Baltic nations.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 20 September 2015.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has not commented on Putin's initiative but, the two presidents had met in the southern Russian city of Sochi and President Putin has ordered his Defense Ministry to hold talks with their Belarusian counterparts and sign the agreement.
Russia has radar and a navy communications facility in Belarus, but this would be the first airbase. Belarus has its advantages and is a desirable location for Russia because it borders Ukraine and three members of the European Union and NATO: Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.
Moreover setting up such a base is not new. The idea of setting up an airbase in the ex-Soviet republic had been revealed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in 2013. It follows a 2009 agreement under which Russia and Belarus had agreed to defend their common external frontier and airspace.
The proposed base would be used to station Su-27 fighters.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Pro-Russian activists force Ukraine troops to abandon Luhansk airport

The Ukrainian military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, has confirmed that Kiev's forces had abandoned the airport in Luhansk after it came under attack by a Russian tank battalion. Reports have also come in of fighting at Donetsk airport theguardian.com . The Ukrainian army and volunteer battalions have met with heavy casualties as they tried to retreat from encirclement in the town of Ilovaisk.
Fighting continued in eastern Ukraine even as a new round of talks were due to start in Minsk, Belarus – these talks are aimed at ending the crisis. This would be the first time that the talks would include representatives of the pro-Russian separatist movement.
It is felt that Kiev would not agree to give into demands from the rebel leaders, but the change of the tone indicates that, having boosted the rebels militarily, Moscow could be looking for a compromise solution that will still give it sway over swaths of Ukraine.
Incidentally, the unrest in Ukraine is taking a toll on schooling - in the rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk, most of the schools did not open due to the chaotic situation, with regular shelling and shortages of water and electricity having created a humanitarian crisis in recent weeks.
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