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Lukashenko Visits Military-Run Myanmar — Critics Say Visit Lends Legitimacy to Contested Vote

11:09 AM, 11/28/2025
Lukashenko Visits Military-Run Myanmar — Critics Say Visit Lends Legitimacy to Contested Vote

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited military-controlled Myanmar just weeks before a widely criticized national election, making him only the second foreign leader to do so since the 2021 coup. The trip is seen by critics as giving the military junta an appearance of international legitimacy. State media say Lukashenko will meet junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and sign cooperation agreements. Rights groups allege Belarus has supplied air-defense systems, radar technology and ground-based missiles to Myanmar’s armed forces.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Myanmar on a goodwill visit, becoming only the second foreign leader to travel to the country since the military seized power in 2021. State media reported that he was greeted in the capital Naypyitaw with full honors and cultural performances.

The visit comes roughly a month before a national election that critics — both inside Myanmar and abroad — have described as neither free nor fair. Opponents say Lukashenko’s presence risks lending international legitimacy to a vote organized by the military junta.

Belarus has emerged as a notable backer and supplier of Myanmar’s military government alongside China and Russia. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader, has traveled to Belarus several times this year; during a March visit, Lukashenko publicly pledged support for the military-organized election and said Belarus would send observers.

State media reported that Lukashenko is scheduled to meet with Min Aung Hlaing to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and signing cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding across multiple sectors. Officials indicated a series of deals could be signed during the visit.

Human rights advocates and opposition groups have strongly criticized the scheduled election as a bid to normalize military rule. Several opposition factions, including armed resistance groups, have warned they will try to disrupt the polls. Western governments have largely shunned and sanctioned Myanmar’s military government for overthrowing the elected administration in February 2021 and for alleged widespread human rights violations since.

Rights group Justice For Myanmar has accused Belarus of supplying weapons, technical equipment and training that bolster Myanmar’s armed forces and its domestic arms industry. The group specifically lists transfers that include an air-defense operational command system, radar technology and ground-based missile systems.

Analysts say the visit underscores growing cooperation among a small group of states willing to engage the junta despite international isolation. Observers will be watching whether any formal security or defense arrangements are announced, and how other governments respond diplomatically.

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