Belarus President to Visit Myanmar Again, Likely to Discuss Arms and Aircraft Purchases

To enhance cooperation between authoritarian countries in Myanmar, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will visit again, and it is likely that matters related to the purchase of military equipment, technology, and aircraft will be discussed, according to CDM officials. Although the coup government side has stated that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will make a working visit to Myanmar in the near future at the invitation of the coup government's president, Min Aung Hlaing, the exact dates of the trip have not yet been released. This visit by the Belarusian president is his second to Myanmar, and it is to further strengthen cooperation between similar authoritarian countries that are subject to international sanctions, and the coup president himself is also inspired by Alexander Lukashenko's governance style, said Captain Zin Yaw, a veteran CDM officer. "Min Aung Hlaing, to put it mildly, is more inspired by Belarus. What he wants is a form similar to Belarus, and the other side is also sowing the seeds of authoritarianism in his style. Furthermore, they will sign contracts and make purchases regarding military equipment and aircraft," Captain Zin Yaw told the Irrawaddy Times. In Belarus, a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled with an authoritarian system with his family since 1994 to this day. Therefore, Belarus, like Myanmar's coup government, is subject to sanctions from countries around the world, including the United Nations and the European Union. Furthermore, Belarus shares borders with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, and is a country that purchases military equipment, aircraft, and technology from Russia, following the lead of Russia and China to overcome international sanctions. Similarly, Myanmar's coup military regime, which has transformed into a transitional government, is also purchasing military equipment and aircraft from Russia. Therefore, during the visit of the Belarusian president, matters related to the purchase of military equipment using Russian technology are likely to be discussed, CDM officials have analyzed. Currently, the transitional government is trying to purchase through cooperation with Belarus, a similar authoritarian country that is primarily based on Russian technology, in order to save costs and transportation expenses from purchasing directly from Russia, which is geographically distant, said Warrant Officer Zeiya of the Air Force CDM. "The main reason is that they are cooperating with each other as similar entities. Another point is that the military equipment and aircraft used in Myanmar are Russian technology, and since Belarus also uses Russian technology, there may be repairs and further purchases," he told the Irrawaddy Times. Prior to this, during his visit from November 27 to 28, 2025, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also visited Myanmar and met with the current coup president, the military leader, and announced that they would jointly respond to international sanctions. Photo – MOI old photo