More than a year and a half after the Ukraine crisis began, the conflict and subsequent standoff between Russia and the West show no signs of abating. Weapons buildups and frequent military exercises have become a recurring feature for both NATO and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization military alliance . While NATO has increased exercises in places like the Baltics, Poland and Romania, Russia has beefed up drills near the borders of these countries as well as Central Asia. Located just north of Ukraine and between Russia and Europe, Belarus has understandably become a key player , a role that concerns the Belarusian government, led by long-serving President Aleksandr Lukashenko. When the Ukrainian uprising ousted then-President Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014, Belarus was isolated from the West.