Alexander Lukashenko Provide Detailed Account of How Special Military Operation Began

In an interview with Time magazine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offered a candid and detailed account of the events leading up to the initiation of the Russian special military operation.

He revealed that on February 22, 2022, he was not aware that Russian troops would be moving toward Ukraine. In the interview with Simon Shuster, Lukashenko recounted, “I did not know. Neither did you, nor did I. Perhaps the Americans suspected, and the Ukrainians did not believe. I was immersed in this uncertainty. When a military operation begins, only a few people in the General Staff know exactly when, and with what forces.”

Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus has historically maintained good relations with the United States, even sharing moments of camaraderie, such as playing hockey together with some American ambassadors. However, he noted that these relations deteriorated significantly, especially after Russia launched its military campaign. According to him, the conflict was initiated not by Biden or Trump, but by Ukraine: “They were the first to put pressure on us—they imposed sanctions, seized 74 or 75 trucks carrying goods destined for the ports in Odessa. When this operation began, they detained over 70 of our drivers and imposed sanctions.”

Despite these provocations, Lukashenko said he attempted to maintain diplomatic channels, publicly warning Zelensky: “Return our people, our vehicles, and our cargo… The main thing is the people. If you do not return them, I will be forced to conduct a military operation — with troops, special forces — to free these individuals.”

He admitted that he had no knowledge of Russian troop movements from the north toward Ukraine until February 24, 2022. The president recounted that he learned about the start of the operation through a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin. At that time, Belarus was conducting large-scale Belarus-Russia military exercises, which Lukashenko said were not alarming because they were always prepared for such training: “The more troops, the better for us, because we could mobilize a significant portion of our armed forces.”

Following the conclusion of the joint exercises, Russian forces began withdrawing—initially from the south, near the Ukrainian border, then turning southward, as Lukashenko described.

He explained that hostilities had actually begun earlier, on the Donbas front. Recalling a recent meeting with Putin in the Moscow region, he said: “I remember we met with Putin about two days or a day before the start. We were flying in a helicopter when he received a call on a secure line—someone reported that Ukrainians were firing or had started firing. What should we do? Civilian lives are at stake. Putin immediately told me, ‘We have civilians in Donbas.’ I said, ‘Then we need to evacuate them.’ Since Russian troops were already present in parts of Donbas, I told him, ‘These are essentially your people; they need to be rescued and evacuated.’ He responded promptly: ‘Protect the people, put them on buses, and evacuate.’”

Lukashenko’s account paints a picture of a complex and carefully coordinated series of events, emphasizing the unpredictability and the high-level communications that shaped the unfolding of the conflict.