Pressure on Lukashenko mounts

The attack in Minsk comes at a time when Belarus' dependence on Russia is growing while President Alexander Lukashenko's power base crumbles, writes the liberal conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "Lukashenko is now caught in his own trap. After years of clever manoeuvring between East and West, today he is completely dependent on Russia. ... Moscow, which views Belarus as part of its sphere of influence, can twist the thumbscrews at any time. And it's already started. The country's economic prospects are dim, the population's savings are dwindling, the social peace is brittle. Once the modest prosperity the regime has bought for years with subsidised gas and oil deliveries from Russia comes to an end, Lukashenko's long rule will also be over."

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