Tuesday 27 September 2022 09:35 AM Putin squirms in his seat as Lukashenko rants about men 'running away' from ... trends now
Vladimir Putin was today forced to endure a bizarre lecture on people fleeing his rule from fellow autocrat Alexander Lukashenko.
The Belarusian president - who needed Putin's help to crush a pro-Western democratic movement in his country in 2020 - assured the Kremlin leader he would win his war in Ukraine, despite the growing unrest over his decision to mobilise 300,000 new troops.
The Kremlin chief looked hunched and uncomfortable, saying little during the meeting in Sochi as Russians continue to protest his mobilisation edict or flee abroad to avoid being drafted.
'Our course is right, our cause is right,' Lukashenko told Putin, bringing a rare smile to the Russian warmonger's lips.
'We will win. We have no other choice. We, as Slavs, would not tolerate humiliation,' Lukashenko told him.
The Belarusian leaders bombastic speech belied the situation on the ground though.
The call for mobilisation has proved wildly unpopular, with hundreds of thousands of Russian men having already fled the country to avoid the call up.
Outbound flights from Russia are completely sold out, and traffic jams leading to Russia's borders are so big they can be seen from space.
Anti-war protests have erupted across the country, and Russian media reported an increasing number of arson attacks on military enlistment offices. Yesterday, an enlistment officer was shot at almost point blank range by a man who refused to be drafted.
Alexander Lukashenko (R) shakes hands with Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Sochi, Russia
Belarusian president Lukashenko (L) - who needed Putin's help to crush a pro-Western democratic movement in his country in 2020 - assured the Kremlin leader he would win his war in Ukraine
A satellite image shows trucks and cars waiting in a traffic jam near Russia's border with Georgia as Russians desperately try to flee the country, September 25, 2022
A satellite image shows traffic at the Khyagt border post on Russia's border with Mongolia, September 23, 2022
Lukashenko continued monologuing in Sochi yesterday, spouting rhetorical questions as Putin sat silently, squirming uncomfortably beside him.
'Let's say 30,000 or 50,000 [people] run away. If they were to stay, would they be our people?' the Belarusian president said.
'Let them run away. I don't know what you think about it, but I wasn't worried too much in 2020 when people left [Belarus after protests
