Belarusian president Aleksander Lukashenko last month opened the second European Games, four years after the inaugural session hosted by Azerbaijan.
Lukashenko likely thought hosting the games would be an opportunity to rally Belarusians around his leadership. Instead, his country is feeling increasingly anxious amid mounting tensions with Russia.
Russian president Vladimir Putin's attendance for the closing ceremony on June 30 didn't calm the situation.
Ever since winning...
Back our independent journalism by becoming a supporting member
Already a member? Login hereVlad Kobets is executive director of the International Strategic Action Network for Security(ISANS). David J. Kramer is senior fellow in the Vaclav Havel Center for Human Rights and Diplomacy and director of European and Eurasian Studies at Florida International University's Green School of International & Public Affairs, and a former assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; he is author of Back to Containment: Dealing with Putin's Regime.
Vlad Kobets is executive director of the International Strategic Action Network for Security(ISANS). David J. Kramer is senior fellow in the Vaclav Havel Center for Human Rights and Diplomacy and director of European and Eurasian Studies at Florida International University's Green School of International & Public Affairs, and a former assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; he is author of Back to Containment: Dealing with Putin's Regime.