As writes the «Belarusian Investigative Center», during the civil war in Syria, which began in 2011, the Syrian opposition likely received weapons from Belarus to fight the government army, with Bulgaria acting as an intermediary in the supplies. At the same time, the Belarusian authorities repeatedly declared support for Assad's regime.
In 2015, Belarus sent 240 portable anti-tank missile launchers ATGS 9P135M «Konkurs», as well as 140 hand-held grenade launchers AGS-17 to Bulgaria for a total amount of €37.9 million. In the same year, Sofia transferred 136 «Konkurs» launchers to the USA and another 80 to Saudi Arabia. «Konkurs» are Soviet anti-tank missile systems, which were of no interest for the needs of the American and Saudi armies. However, during this period, the USA was implementing a program to arm the Syrian opposition.
The representative of the US Special Operations Command, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Allen, confirmed to BuzzFeed in 2015 that the Pentagon was purchasing missiles from Belarus for the Syrian rebels' armament program.
At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko repeatedly expressed support for Bashar Assad. In 2018, when the USA, the UK, and France launched airstrikes on Syria in response to a chemical attack in the city of Douma, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry condemned the bombing, questioning the fact of the use of toxic substances by the authorities.
After Assad fled to Moscow, Lukashenko once again praised the former president of Syria, stating that they had «good human relations».
«He is not a dictator. He treated people as a doctor. He never killed anyone», said Lukashenko on December 10, 2024, during a working trip to Borisov.
Photo: Nikolai Petrov, BelTA