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Sustained protests in Belarus could lead to showdown with Russia
Moscow cannot afford to lose its influence in the crisis-hit country
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The anti-government demonstrations in Belarus may die down; after all, the country experienced a similar bout of popular dissent a decade ago, and that ultimately petered out.
But if the current anti-government riots are sustained, Europe could soon find itself embroiled in a showdown of major consequences with Russia, not dissimilar from the one over Ukraine in 2014.
