Russia's influence over Belarus will likely grow in the coming years, although Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will probably seek to slow Moscow's integration efforts to preserve his place in power. On Feb. 17, Lukashenko met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the two countries' strategic integration within the Union State, which Minsk defines as a confederation of states and Moscow views as a more binding federation. Then on Feb. 20, investigative journalists from numerous Western media outlets reported that they had obtained a 2021 internal strategy document detailing the Kremlin's plan to use the Union State to take ''full control'' of -- or even ''absorb'' -- Belarus by 2030. The document, allegedly prepared by Russia's security agencies, military and other government bodies, outlines how Russia will use Union State integration to manage Belarus' foreign policy in the interests of Russia, increase the Russian military's presence on Belarusian...
