Moscow appears to be planning the revival of the Soviet Union, including in a federation under its control the countries that were part of the union that broke up in the early 1990s.
The German media has obtained a secret document that dates back to the summer of 2021 and is considered to be true, entitled "Strategic goals of the Russian Federation in Belarus". The document shows the Kremlin's plan to make Belarus, Russia's only loyal neighbor in Europe, a part of the Russian Federation.
The plan envisages a peaceful rapprochement that is expected to be completed within the period between 2025-2030. The strategy envisages that the union with the Russian Federation will be gradual and completed by fulfilling certain criteria related to the harmonization of Belarusian legislation with that of Russia.
With the move, the Kremlin wants to push back Western influence in the country and create a bulwark against NATO on its western border, as the alliance plans to expand into countries bordering Russia. In the past, Putin has made no secret of his ambitions to expand into countries that were once part of the former Soviet Union and the Russian empire.