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The Belarus crisis: Trouble in Putin’s backyard

The growing street protests in Belarus threaten not only President Lukashenko, the country's authoritarian leader, the stakes are high for President Putin too.

The growing street protests in Belarus threaten not only President Lukashenko, the country's authoritarian leader, but also Russia's Vladimir Putin. Russia sees Belarus as a crucial buffer state against Nato and the West, and Putin also fears this kind of 'people power' could be a threat to his leadership. The growth of opposition inside Russia was highlighted by the poisoning of the leading Kremlin critic Alexi Navalny, a constant thorn in the President's side. The stakes are high for President Putin but is he really under threat - both in his back yard and his own country? And how should the West respond?

Panel:-
Jan Neutze Director of Cybersecurity Policy at Microsoft responsible for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Martha Lane Fox Co-founded Last Minute.com, Peer and expert on public service digital projects.
Presented by Zeinab Badawi.

Available now

27 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Sat 26 Sep 2020 07:32GMT
  • Sat 26 Sep 2020 10:32GMT
  • Sat 26 Sep 2020 17:32GMT
  • Sun 27 Sep 2020 04:32GMT
  • Sun 27 Sep 2020 18:32GMT

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