Putin and Lukashenko make a date to go to Antarctica as despots hold talks amid tensions with the West

Despots Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko have set a date to visit Antarctica amid rising tensions with the West.

The pair, respective leaders of Russia and Belarus, sat together at a meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday, where they spoke via video chat with Russian polar scientists from the Vostok research station, close to the South Pole. .

The scientists opened a new wintering facility at the station, the construction of which was described by Russia’s state news agency TASS as “Russia’s flagship project in the Antarctic region.”

During the phone call, Lukashenko, 69, was apparently so impressed with the new facility that he asked Putin, 71, to join him on a future trip to the base.

Lukashenko said: ‘Let’s go for a while? Looks interesting!’

During the phone call, Lukashenko, 69, was apparently so impressed with the new facility that he asked Putin, 71, to join him on a future trip to the base.

Putin responded less enthusiastically: “Yes, okay.”

Although the two despots may organize catch-up sessions, tensions between Belarus and Russia, and the West, have increased.

During the visit to St. Petersburg, during which Putin spoke at a memorial marking 80 years since the end of the Nazi siege of Leningrad, the city was named at the time. stepped up its attacks on Kiev, claiming that Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime “glorifies Hitler’s henchmen, the SS.”

Putin’s claims come just three days after Lukashenko’s own government launched an investigation into the matter Twenty independent analysts and political commentators are now outside the country accused of plotting to seize power and promote extremism, following a series of searches and detentions of people, many of whom were once imprisoned for political dissent against the former President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

One human rights group said more than 150 people were affected by the police action.

The United States, which together with the European Union has long imposed sanctions on Belarus, has denounced the latest punitive measures.

The Russian leader stepped up his attacks on Kiev, claiming that Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime ‘glorifies Hitler’s henchmen, the SS’

Putin’s claims come just three days after Lukashenko’s government launched an investigation into 20 independent analysts and political commentators.

The Belarusian Investigative Committee said the analysts “actively participated in the development and implementation of the concept of destructive activities aimed at harming national security.”

The group includes political commentators and economists, as well as officials linked to exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was defeated by Lukashenko in the 2020 elections.

“The regime is trying to push the country into an information bubble,” Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in neighboring Lithuania, wrote on Telegram.

“The wave of repression against analysts and experts is simply revenge on those who honestly assess the situation in Belarus and propose real ways out of the crisis.”

The human rights group Viasna (Spring) said on its website that at least 157 people have been arrested and interrogated. Most had been released or charged for minor offences, but some were accused of inciting extremism.

The U.S. State Department said Washington “condemns the Lukashenko regime’s recent raids (and) detentions” and vowed to hold the administration accountable “for its harsh internal repression and for its continued support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Lukashenko, in power since 1994, launched a new crackdown on dissent after stamping out unprecedented demonstrations against what his opponents say was his rigged 2020 re-election.

Putin supported him in that confrontation and Lukashenko allowed Russia to use his territory as a staging post for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Lukashenko, who has depended on Moscow for political and economic support, agreed last year to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in his country on Russia’s western border. But he has rejected any idea of ​​deploying troops in the war in Ukraine.