What was happening in Syria and Belarus by 17 February 2020?
A look back at two developments reported in the days before 17 February 2020: advances in Aleppo's countryside and a Belarusian oil warning to Russia.
What were the world's pressure points on 17 February 2020? Two reports from the preceding days pointed to Northwestern Syria and to the Belarus–Russia oil relationship.
Aleppo countryside
As reported on 16 February 2020, Syrian Army troops, backed by Russian airstrikes, took control of most of the Aleppo countryside. The towns of Anadan, Haritan and Kafr Hamrah fell, along with more than 30 villages, amid a collapse in rebel defences. Much of the area had been under rebel control since 2012. The advance was part of the offensive in Northwestern Syria that began in December 2019.
Oil dispute on the Druzhba pipeline
On 14 February 2020, Belarus threatened to take oil from the Druzhba pipeline if Russia did not supply the crude volumes it required. The pipeline carries Russian oil across Belarusian territory to central Europe. Russian oil supplies to Belarus had not been agreed for 2020, and shipments had dwindled to 500,000 tonnes, down from a planned 2 million tonnes.
