Groups of Belarusian partisans are currently training in Poland to overthrow dictator Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally – even a puppet – of Vladimir Putin. It even recently allowed Moscow to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.
The Times of London reported on Sunday that armed opposition groups have been forming there for months. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the opposition has embraced attacks in Belarus. It undoubtedly coordinates its operations closely with the Ukrainian secret service SBU and benefits from the support of Western intelligence agencies.
I would even think that Canada could certainly participate in the military training of opponents of Belarus in Poland. I’ll come back to that later.
KO Lukashenko
Canada, the United States and the European Union have rejected the results of the rigged 2022 Belarus referendum that cemented Lukashenko’s power.
Like its NATO allies, Ottawa supports opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in exile in Lithuania. Trudeau received her in Ottawa last year. During that visit, he imposed new sanctions on the Belarusian regime for allowing the Russians to invade Ukraine from its territory. Sanctions were imposed on 22 senior and military leaders for accomplices of Moscow and Belarusian companies involved in the manufacture of military equipment.
In all, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 1,500 individuals and entities in Russia and Belarus.
Ottawa engaged militarily
The Armed Forces of Ukraine’s military training and capacity-building mission, Operation UNIFIER, involves more than 300 Canadian soldiers. According to several media outlets, including the New York Times, they are deployed in Latvia, Poland, the United Kingdom… and Ukraine itself.
And they would not only provide weapons and training to the Ukrainian armed forces, but also collect information about the Russians, according to these media. It would be really surprising if they didn’t also train Belarusian opponents in Poland. In what area are you wondering?
Canadian snipers
Canadian soldiers have a worldwide reputation as snipers. In 2002, two Canadians set world records with deadly shots from 2430 meters and 2310 meters. In Iraq in 2017, a Canadian sniper killed a jihadist more than 3.5 kilometers away.
Canadian commandos in Ukraine are already training the country’s military in this area. The list of equipment supplied by Canada to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, published by National Defense, includes .50 caliber ultra-long-range rifles, the standard weapon of Canadian snipers. In Latvia, too, where Canada sent reinforcements just a few days ago, the soldiers of this NATO country are being trained in how to use these weapons.
If we actually trained Belarusian partisans too, the mission would no doubt be entrusted to one of two formations: either military intelligence with the enigmatic name Joint Task Force “X”, JTF-X (JTF-X in English), or JTF- 2 (JTF-2) commandos tasked with capturing or executing enemy leaders, rescuing hostages, destroying military objectives or getting behind enemy lines.
The two, working in close cooperation with their American and British counterparts, are likely to be deployed in Eastern Europe.
