Putin throws $1.5 billion lifeline to Belarus leader

The Kremlin said some of the new money would be used to refinance earlier loans.

Recall the origin of the term 'to finlandize'. Recall how empires, especially empires with large militaries, have succeeded in gaining control over other states without always having to militarily invade them; just having a larger military sometimes is enough. And before crying 'the west is worse! the west is worse!' I'm well aware the US empire has its military in roughly 150 countries and its corporations in even more.

Empires, especially China, the US, Russia, Turkey and Iran: leave sovereign states alone.

Call it what it really is: Russia taking over Belarus.

@PTownsend

before crying 'the west is worse! the west is worse!' I'm well aware the US empire has its military in roughly 150 countries

Yes, the West is worse, you just confirm it. And you carefully forgot to name NATO as an empire (in your definition) and a threat to the world - after everythingl it did to Yugoslavia and Libya.

@The Avenger

Call it what it really is: Russia taking over Belarus

If both want it, what's the problem? Basically it's the same people. The difference between Russians and Belorussians is much less then the difference between people from Tokyo (Edokko) and Osaka (Kansaijin).

Since the election, which Lukashenko denies rigging in order to defeat opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, thousands of people have been arrested and nearly all opposition leaders jailed, deported or forced into exile. Police said they detained 774 people on Sunday.

Yep. Sounds like a "free people" to me. NOT! Sounds like politics in Russia, just with fewer people being poisoned.