Natallia Radzina: Poland Has A Powerful Tool To Respond To Putin And Lukashenko's Attack

• 11.09.2025, 10:08

Why did the Belarusian generals get nervous?

Editor-in-Chief of Charter97.org Natallia Radzina was a guest of YouTube channel of well-known journalist Evgeny Kiselev.

The interview was recorded on September 10 - the day 19 Russian drones intruded into Polish airspace. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said many of the UAVs flew directly from Belarus. Natallia Radzina talks about the Lukashenko regime's responsibility for the attack on Poland:

- The statement by the Belarusian Defense Ministry, which says they "shot down drones," is, as the Belarusians say, "laughter varta." We understand perfectly well that nobody shot down any Russian drones over the territory of Belarus.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that "Poland's cup of patience with Lukashenko's regime has overflowed". First of all, of course, he was referring to the arrival of drones from the territory of Belarus, and then to the military exercises "West-2025" with an aggressive scenario, as a result of which Poland intends to close the border with Belarus.

Migrant attacks on Poland's borders continue, and have only intensified recently.

The editor-in-chief of the Charter97.org website says about the purpose of the Russian drone incursion into Poland:

- Such a massive attack has never happened before. It is good that Polish air defense, Polish and allied aviation handled it. And what will happen, let's imagine, if 400, 500, 600, 800 drones fly, which almost every night attack the territory of Ukraine? We understand the purpose of these drones flying to Poland. It's a test of NATO's strength and readiness to defend its allies. And also, I assume, it is blackmailing Europe in order to force the West to withdraw its support for Ukraine. Because Poland today is the largest logistical hub, and arms go to Ukraine through Poland. And this may be an attempt to intimidate the West and say, "Stop supporting Ukraine, otherwise we will attack you."

Natallia Radzina believes that Warsaw can respond to the provocations of Putin and Lukashenko:

- If there is an escalation, if the number of drones that will fly into Poland increases, if they are, again, missiles, no one will listen to the Belarusian Defense Ministry's excuses. Of course, there will be retaliatory strikes on military facilities in Belarus.

Putin is deliberately going for escalation. He sees perfectly well that Europe is not yet ready for war, and he also sees that US President Donald Trump is not ready for any decisive action. In essence, Trump, by his indecision, by his unwillingness to impose serious sanctions against Russia, by his unwillingness to help Ukraine, is giving the Russian dictator carte blanche to attack Europe.

Just the other day there was absolutely wild news that against the background of the "West-2025" exercises (we know their scenario, that, perhaps, a breakthrough to the Suvala corridor will be practiced, the use of nuclear weapons will be practiced) the Pentagon stops military support to the Baltic States.

What is this but an invitation to Putin to aggression? Absolutely wild policy. I don't understand at all who makes these decisions, what these people know about what is happening in the world.

Belarusian journalist commented on the nervous reaction of the head of the General Staff Pavel Muraveiko, who justified the invasion of drones from the territory of Belarus:

- I think they are frightened in connection with the statement of the Polish authorities about the intention to close the border with Belarus. The border is being closed because of the military exercise "West-2025". We know when the border will be closed - on the night of September 12-13, but when it will open - it's not known exactly. The exercises will be held from September 12 to 16, but it is not excluded, especially in view of the drone attack, that the border will remain closed.

Closing the border is a very strong lever of pressure on Lukashenko's regime. If the trade blockade were to last longer, many concessions could be achieved from the regime.

It would also be possible to achieve Belarus' withdrawal from the war with Russia against Ukraine, and it would be possible to achieve the release of all political prisoners. Much faster than it will be done by Trump, who constantly compliments Lukashenko, but so far political prisoners are not released, and just the other day came the news that one of the prisoners of conscience (by the way, a Russian citizen, living since childhood in Belarus), died of torture.

It is possible to achieve the release of political prisoners, it is even possible to achieve Lukashenko's resignation, if we introduce a total trade blockade, if we block the movement of goods by rail and road. Why? Because Belarus is the only overland corridor for Chinese goods to Europe.

The editor-in-chief of Charter97.org spoke about the danger of the military exercises "West-2025", which will begin in Belarus tomorrow:

- Perhaps, from September 12 to 16, there will be no direct attacks on the territory of Ukraine and NATO countries. Remember how it was in 2022. Exercise "West" began in December 2021, ended in January 2022, the attack itself occurred in February, when troops were either entering or leaving - there were unclear movements. Although officials said that "everything is normal, the troops are coming out". The exercises may be a reason for the accumulation of Russian military equipment and personnel in Belarus. We don't know how many Russian troops are on the Belarusian territory today. It is said: 30 thousand military personnel will take part in the Belarusian-Russian exercises. Of them - eight thousand on the territory of Belarus. We don't know how many "green men" are there, how many people in civilian clothes, who have settled in rented apartments in many cities of Belarus. The number of Russian military on the territory of Belarus is unknown, not to mention the fact that military planes with a large number of military personnel may arrive. There is certainly a danger.

Natallia Radzina told about her first reaction to the news about the invasion of Poland by Russian drones from the territory of Belarus:

- My first thoughts are whether the West will realize as a result of this attack how erroneous its policy towards Belarus has been for the last 30 years. Ukrainians realized what Lukashenko's regime is only in February 2022. Before that, no one wanted to listen to us, no matter how many times I and my colleagues came to Ukraine since 2014, no matter how many times we talked about the threats Lukashenko's regime posed to Ukraine itself. Because trade with this regime was more important.

I really hope that the West will realize how strategically important the territory of Belarus is. That it is necessary to think seriously about how to liberate the country. How convenient it is today as a bridgehead for Putin. And if we liberate it from Russian troops, from Russian influence, it will help both Ukraine to win this war and the West to ensure its security.

How to do it? At this stage, we will not discuss military methods, but in case of escalation, it is possible that NATO troops will enter the territory of Belarus and militarily liberate it. At this stage, the sanctions pressure on Lukashenko's regime must not be weakened in any case, but only intensified, up to the trade blockade.

Because the economy in Belarus is falling apart. The latest news I was told by sources in Belarus: the situation in the economy is a mess. Prisons, by the way, are now filled with directors of enterprises and officials. A lot of judges, prosecutors and policemen are in jail. Everyone, especially law enforcers and officials, is charged with the article "treason against the motherland."

This is, in fact, the 37th year. Repressions are being carried out against all segments of the population. What does this tell us? The regime's fear, its insecurity, the realization that the entire society is against it. And the economy is very much affected by sanctions. After all, the main export item of this regime was oil products, which went to Ukraine and the West. Now these markets are gone.

Belaruskali is an absolute bankrupt. Because the markets have been lost. Potash from Canada goes to Brazil, while Russian potash goes to China and India. There are no ports for transportation of Belarusian potash. Previously, all potash went to Lithuania's Klaipeda. Belarusians are not allowed to enter Ust-Luga because they are competitors for Russia on the world markets. As former employees of Belaruskali told me, the situation is deplorable.

Plus the equipment is getting outdated, which cannot be purchased in the West. Chinese equipment, for example, the same drilling rigs, are not comparable in quality with German ones. And that is why today the city-forming enterprise, which sponsored a huge number of social projects in Belarus, including propaganda events, Lukashenko himself, is now bankrupt. This means that the sanctions are working. And it is necessary to continue the pressure on the regime.