Without electricity, water and heating still remain for millions of citizens in Ukraine and while the first snow of the year blanketed Kiev over the weekend, worsening the daily living conditions of the Ukrainian people.
As the first flakes blanketed the Ukrainian capital, a veil of mystery shrouded the sudden death of 64-year-old Vladimir Makei, Belarus' foreign minister for a decade and a former secret agent. His death was unexpected, as the Belarusian Foreign Minister was described as "in good health", thereby multiplying scenarios and conspiracy theories regarding the real causes of his demise.
Seeking an answer to the suddenness of his loss, information and speculations that flooded the digital networks highlight the specific timing, namely his departure a day after his meeting with the Pope's envoy and ahead of his scheduled meeting today with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Minsk.
Secret plan
The same reports, in fact, want McKay to discuss a secret peace plan to end the war with the Holy See's "messenger", Ante Jozić, further raising public curiosity about his real role. The 64-year-old Belarusian foreign minister was considered the natural successor to the country's president, Alexander Lukashenko, although the latter was antagonistic to the activities of his political subordinate, mainly because McKay had managed to emerge as the only reliable Western interlocutor on behalf of the Belarusian government, pursuing an autonomous foreign policy despite the Putin-Lukashenko embrace of the theatre of war in Ukraine.
Reaction to the news of his death also came from Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, whose spokeswoman said Russia was "shocked" by his death. However, the pro-war Russian channel "Telegram Mardan" commented that "strange death. Just in time. Just yesterday he discussed a peace plan with the Pope's envoy," as McKay was his country's main channel of communication with Western powers."
Having been trained in the Soviet military intelligence service GRU, McKay had acquired the nature of a liberal. At the same time, he had built solid relationships with Austrian intelligence and Austrian elites, often performing "subtle missions" for the Kremlin, although Russia's Foreign Ministry has not recognized the "people's republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk, sparking anger in Moscow.
"We are shocked by reports of the death of the head of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Belarus," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. For his part, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko publicly expressed his condolences, although reports had him fearing his replacement by the West through McKay in order to weaken his strategic alliance with Russia.
In addition to the intelligence and information war, Moscow's hybrid war continues to rage with ferocity, as evidence from Ukrainian authorities suggests that a new wave of heavy aerial bombing of civilian targets is imminent this week as well, causing outrage and anger as the total number of hits on energy infrastructure and civilians has exceeded 32,000 since the war began.
At the same time, "in recent weeks we have been receiving substantial information that signs have emerged that they are probably preparing to abandon the (Zaporizhzhya plant)," said Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, with most analysts arguing that Europe's largest nuclear plant cannot be ruled out from coming under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency in the near future. 'It's like, you know, packing their bags and stealing everything they find,' many media outlets in Ukraine reported yesterday about the presence of Russian forces at the plant, wanting to illustrate their preparations for an exit.
It should be noted that the power cuts combined with the severe cold are forcing more and more residents to leave even Kherson, the liberation of which has taken on an international dimension, revealing the great weaknesses of the Russian army to achieve a crushing blow against the Ukrainians, 10 months after the start of the Russian invasion.
Given the stalemate, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko came back yesterday, calling for Ukraine to come to the table and negotiate with Russia "without preconditions". According to Lukashenko, an outspoken "satellite" of Moscow's positions, Kiev is making a "mistake" by setting preconditions for negotiations with Russia, since, he argues, such preconditions do not allow negotiations to begin. "The mistake of the Ukrainians, of (President) Volodymyr Zelensky, is that he violates the classical principles of the negotiation process. Especially when talking to the giant Russia. Well, you can't set conditions in advance," Lukashenko said during an interview with Russian state television. He added: "Sit at the negotiating table and put all the conditions there. And the second principle is classic - compromises."
According to analysts, Moscow is systematically using Minsk as a starting point for the success of its invasion of Ukraine. Already, from the early days of the Russian invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin directed troops into Ukraine through the Russian-Belarusian border.
In addition, Belarus has been a springboard for many of Russia's air operations against Ukraine, according to information gathered by NATO surveillance planes. Picking up the gauntlet, "we are ready for dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia," the Ukrainian president said last month, deflecting any pressure to do so. Even if senior US officials have recently advised Kiev to appear open to negotiations, however, Washington's intention is not to necessarily "push" Ukraine to the table, making the issue of any negotiations purely Ukrainian.
Source: protothema.gr
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