Lukashenko awarded Russian honour amid growing reliance on Moscow
Alexander Lukashenko received the highest Russian state decoration, the Order of St. Andrew, from Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, awarded for services to the Russian Federation. Lukashenko stated that the Belarusian people "consistently strengthen their unity with brotherly Russia."
The independent Belarusian portal Zerkalo.io reported the award, citing official media in Minsk. The order's motto is: "For Faith and Loyalty." The portal Nasza Niwa reported that Lukashenko kissed the order.
Earlier, Belarusian state media announced that Lukashenko and Putin would hold talks in Moscow regarding "issues of further development of relations" between the two countries and that the emphasis would be on "integrative cooperation within the framework of the Union State" of Belarus and Russia.
On Wednesday, Nasza Niwa recalled the history of this high-status decoration, which was reinstated in modern Russia in 1998 and modelled after that of the Russian Empire.
The award has a deep symbolic meaning: it was given by Russia to the most loyal and useful servants who distinguished themselves in the matter of bringing Belarus into the empire's orbit - the portal emphasises.
It seems that Putin decided to honour Lukashenko in this way for acting as a faithful ally of Russia and for participating in the aggression against Ukraine (in February 2022, he allowed the Russian army to pass through Belarus). Lukashenko, however, saw substantial economic interest in this, as Russia currently shows him great financial support, says Alexander Klaskouski, an independent Belarusian political scientist.
Belarus increasingly dependent on Russia
Economic data show that Belarus is becoming increasingly dependent on Russia. For its involvement in Russian aggression, Minsk is paying an increasingly high price, losing markets in the European Union and Ukraine. Regarding imports and exports, the Belarusian economy is over 60% dependent on the Russian market. Belarus is the only country that has agreed to the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on its territory.
