Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has come up with a novel way to support the army in the cash-strapped republic – he wants Russia to pay for it.

­In a meeting with his defense minister, the long-time leader proclaimed that “Russia and Belarus have basically one army, but Russian officers get paid significantly more.” Lukashenko says he has already personally asked Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to contribute to the salary fund of his army.

All ranks in Russia have had their salaries doubled or trebled since the New Year. A general in the Russian army is paid around US$4,000 a month – eight times more than his Belorussian counterpart.

Nonetheless, Lukashenko’s assertion about the common army is incorrect – the two allies have always had separate budgets and separate armed forces.

Moscow has not yet responded to the request, though Lukashenko claims that Medvedev had “promised to help him out.”

But opposition politicians in Minsk have roundly condemned Lukashenko, accusing him of treason. Former presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich has said the request is an “insult to the officers of Belarus.”