Expert: Tension has shifted to Middle East, revealing hidden agendas

MINSK, 25 April (BelTA) – Amid the events in the Middle East and the economic, military, and geopolitical upheavals rocking the world, one might think that the Ukrainian issue has simply faded into the background. But is that the case? Sergei Karnaukhov, PhD in Law, expert on security services, shared his insights in a new episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA’s video channel.

“I think it looks something like this. Imagine a piece of cloth covering certain documents. They lie under the cloth, invisible. Then someone starts pulling that cloth from Ukraine toward the Middle East, and the documents begin to be exposed. Suddenly, you see that under this cloth there’s not just an ordinary table or desk, but documents – important, secret ones,” Sergei Karnaukhov said.

The expert pointed out what these “documents” are. “What did we see after this ‘cloth of tension’ around Ukraine was suddenly drawn to the Middle East? A very interesting thing — something that should not just be discussed but noted and reflected upon. We have seen systematic, well-calculated strikes being carried out across Russian territory. The oil refining complex, logistics hubs, transshipment bases – that is, the entire shipping system located in port facilities – and part of the logistics chain that is critically important for energy exports abroad are being hit. Why is this significant? I want to emphasize again: the enemy is not striking command centers, even though from a military perspective, those should be the target. If you can hit anything, why not hit command centers? Why not strike at concentrations of the Russian armed forces?” Sergei Karnaukhov said.

The expert offered a detailed answer to this question: “Because this isn’t about war at all. Imagine that 20 years ago, somewhere in the Pentagon, U.S. officials and military personnel sitting with the British, deliberating: ‘Let’s start striking across Russia tomorrow, delivering the most devastating blows to its energy system, for example, because we need to reduce its export potential.’ Because the logical follow-up actions, as foreign currency revenues drop, are a blow to the domestic front and the creation of tension hotspots. This is impossible to even contemplate, because that would be World War III in an instant, with retaliatory strikes on Washington. But instead, there is a facade – Ukraine. And supposedly, the Ukrainians are the ones striking the Russian Federation. Despite the Middle East crisis and everything happening, they have not reduced and only intensified their pressure on the Russian economy. Add the 20th sanctions package to that. That’s also telling. If you connect it with what is happening, everything falls into a single logic. There has been no shift of tension toward the Middle East regarding Russia’s interests. On the contrary, the pressure is increasing – just changing in form and nature,” the expert said.