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The growing street protests in Belarus threaten not only President Lukashenko, the country's authoritarian leader, but also Russia's Vladimir Putin. Russia sees Belarus as a crucial buffer state against Nato and the west, and Putin fears that this kind of 'people power' could be a threat to his leadership. The growth of the opposition inside Russia itself was highlighted by the poisoning of leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, a constant thorn in the president's side.

The stakes are high for President Putin, but is he really under threat - both in his own backyard and country? And how should the west respond?