Ukraine war: Belarus dictator stands in front of battle map on live TV

Has Lukashenko accidentally revealed MOLDOVA will be invaded next? Belarus dictator addresses his security council in front of map that seems to detail Russia’s battle plan for Ukraine

• Alexander Lukashenko met with his security council to discuss Ukraine invasion 
• Belarus dictator stood next to map apparently showing the Russian invasion plan
• Map roughly matches up with actual battle, though calls for attacks on Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr which hasn’t materialised and attack into occupied Moldova  
• In the footage he talks about missile strikes by Belarus against Ukrainian targets 

In war, your plans should be as impenetrable as night – at least according to famed Chinese general Sun Tzu.

But it seems Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko isn’t much of a scholar, at least if his latest stunt on state TV is anything to go by.

Addressing his security council today, the strongman appeared to be standing in front of a battle map showing Russia’s attack plan in Ukraine.

The map showed Russian lines of attack heading into Ukraine, some of which have materialised in the first few days of the invasion – such as forces storming towards Kyiv from the north, and towards Kherson from Crimea.

But they also showed off several attacks that have yet to come to pass – with one even appearing to point from the port city of Odessa into Moldova, suggesting Russia plans to march troops into Ukraine’s neighbour.

Alexander Lukashenko has appeared in front of a battle map during a state TV broadcast which appears to detail Russia’s attack plans in Ukraine

The map seems to suggest that a force will be sent from the Ukrainian city of Odessa to attack neighbouring Moldova, where Russia already has troops

The map is split into four sections which align with the command districts of Ukraine’s military, showing Russian attacks from Belarus, along Ukraine’s eastern border, and from occupied Crimea.

A two-pronged pincer movement is shown targeting Kyiv – an attack that is currently playing out – which forces are also shown heading out of occupied Donetsk and Crimea before linking up at Melitopol, which Russia has captured.

But attacks are also shown hitting the city of Dnipro, which has yet to take place – possibly because the forces assigned to attack it have been held up by fierce resistance in Kharkiv, which is along the route.

Another attack appears to be heading for the city of Cherkasy via the city of Sumy, where Russian forces have also been held up, while a third appears to break off from the Kyiv assault towards Zhytomyr.

Perhaps the most baffling shows troops attacking from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa towards Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that Russia occupies.

Nicu Popescu, Moldova’s deputy prime minister, admitted today that his country is in a ‘very risky zone’ with the population feeling ‘anxiety and fear’.

But, he added, he does not expect to be invaded and instead sees the biggest challenge as handling an influx of refugees. 

The map also pinpoints what appear to be Ukrainian military infrastructure and missile batteries in locations that were struck by Russian missile strikes on the first day of the invasion.

In a clip of the meeting posted online, Lukashenko can also be heard talking about missile strikes launched from Belarusian territory at Ukraine in advance of the main Russian assault.

‘Missiles in the Mazyr region hit those [Ukrainian] positions, after which we didn’t see them again,’ Lukashenko tells his top cabinet.

‘Once the Russians began their advance, we no longer saw those positions.

‘That’s why I say that, yes, there were indeed missile launches from Belarusian territory and have shared honestly which targets we attacked.’ 

Perhaps worryingly for the direction the war could take from here, the chart also features a map of the US mainland and Canada.

A box on the right-hand side detailing what appear to be military units also features the badge of the US Army Air Cavalry, while below it there is a map of the whole of Europe – perhaps detailing NATO troop positions.

Russia is now six days into its invasion of Ukraine, and the battle does not appear to be going to plan.

Ukraine’s military has put up a stronger-than-expected resistance while ordinary civilians have also come out in force to resist ‘the occupiers’.

The battle map also shows Russian forces heading through the city of Kharkiv to  Dnipro – an attack that may have been held up due to heavy resistance (pictured)

Meanwhile Putin’s military has suffered an embarrassing string of defeats while trying to carry out precision strikes on key targets in an apparent effort to win the war quickly and convincingly. 

That has raised fears that he is now about to deploy Russian heavy armour and artillery in an attempt to brute-force his way to victory – a strategy that could cause huge civilian casualties.

A ‘terrifying’ convoy 40 miles long comprised of tanks and artillery is now heading towards the capital Kyiv, apparently in an effort to surround it.

Russian forces began bombarding the city today, striking a TV mast and Holocaust memorial, after warning citizens to leave or risk being killed.

Mariupol, in the south, has reportedly come under sustained bombardment by land and air while fighting has also been reported in Kherson and Chernihiv.

Kharkiv, scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the early days of the war, was hit by cluster munitions on Monday before a large cruise missile landed there Tuesday, killing dozens.

President Zelensky has described the attacks as ‘war crimes’ and called on prosecutors to investigate, with the International Criminal Court at The Hauge already opening a case.

Meanwhile Putin has been all-but isolated on the world stage as sanctions cut off the Russian economy from the outside world, causing the currency to crash and stock market to tumble. 

Source: Read Full Article