Belarus gears up for its first elections since the fraudulent presidential election that triggered mass protests and a brutal regime crackdown three years ago. Experts are under no illusions that the upcoming elections will be free or fair. Russia and Belarus veto Estonia’s OSCE chairmanship – a move that Estonia’
Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join us Poland deploys a tank battalion near its border with Belarus citing an eastern threat. Belarus develops a new system that would allow it to inspect all mail coming from the European Union. The European Parliament urges the EU to restrict Russian and
Belarus reignites the border crisis spat with Latvia, claiming to have found dead migrants at the countries’ shared border. Latvia denies the claim. The editor-in-chief of an independent Belarusian-language newspaper is sentenced to four years in prison. Human rights groups deem the move politically motivated. Sweden appoints a special envoy
Maria Lvova-Belova, a Russian official wanted by the International Criminal Court for abducting Ukrainian children, visits Minsk to discuss the “protection of children.” Hungary’s foreign minister makes a second controversial visit to Minsk. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko invites Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to visit Belarus. A Belarusian official
A Wall Street Journal analysis sheds light on Russia’s growing nuclear capabilities in Belarus. Belarus expects over $600 million from Russia to compensate for losses sustained from a Russian tax change back in 2018. Poland issues a European arrest warrant against six members of Lukashenko’s security services. A
Lukashenko meets with Iran’s first vice president in Minsk to lament Western sanctions amid the countries’ continued support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. Lukashenko attends the CIS summit in Kyrgyzstan to mark Putin’s first trip abroad since his international arrest warrant was issued. The Belarusian parliament approves
The International Red Cross issues its Belarusian branch an ultimatum: If its current head is not dismissed, the Belarusian branch will no longer receive funding. Minsk showcases children taken from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to foreign diplomats visiting Belarus. Minsk announces the creation of a new chain of stores selling
Belarus plans a visit for foreign representatives to places where abducted Ukrainian children are held, in an attempt to evade complicity in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Minsk claims again that a Polish helicopter violated its airspace, a claim Warsaw vehemently denies. Belarusian authorities shut down the last officially registered
Representatives of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s regime attend the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. Belarus’ foreign affairs minister calls for the UN to expand the Security Council. Belarusian democratic forces are also in attendance. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urges Lukashenko to be excluded from UN forums.
Lukashenko proposes creating a trilateral partnership with Russia and North Korea during his meeting with Putin in Sochi. Forty-eight Ukrainian children abducted from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine arrive in Belarus. Latvia closes one of its border crossings with Belarus due to “the most tense situation since 2021” amid the Minsk-engineered
The European Parliament recognizes the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko as an accomplice to the crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, including the mass abduction of children from occupied parts of Ukraine. The Red Cross recommends that the head of its Belarus branch, Dzmitryi Shautsou, step down until the
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko signs a decree prohibiting the country’s embassies from issuing or renewing passports for Belarusians living abroad, leaving the regime’s critics vulnerable to prosecution if they return. The Nobel Foundation withdraws its invites to Russia, Belarus, and Iran for the Nobel Prize awards in Stockholm,
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claims Wagner’s “core” will remain in Belarus despite observations suggesting that the mercenary group is leaving after the death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania threaten to completely shut their borders with Belarus should a “critical incident” involving the Wagner Group occur.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko admits that Russian forces invaded Ukraine from Belarus at the start of the full-scale war in 2022 and reiterates his support for Russia. Despite this avowal, Lukashenko claims he supports neighboring states’ territorial integrity during a meeting with China’s defense minister in Minsk. The European
This week, China’s defense minister touts Beijing and Minsk’s “continuously strengthening” relations during a controversial visit to Russia and Belarus. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Canada expand their sanctions against Belarus to mark the third year anniversary of the fraudulent 2020 Belarusian presidential election. A fire breaks out
Tensions mount between Belarus, Poland, and Lithuania amid the growing presence of Wagner mercenaries and the Belarusian military’s exercises near their shared borders. Warsaw and Vilnius accuse Minsk of engineering a renewed migrant influx by forcefully funneling asylum seekers to the border. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join
Tensions rise after Belarusian helicopters cross into Polish territory, the country's state border service said on Aug. 1. Poland also alleges that around 100 Wagner mercenaries are transferred closer to the Suwalki Corridor, bringing tensions to a new high. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join us Belarusians gather over
The head of the Belarusian Red Cross admits the branch helps Russia abduct children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. He says the organization has, is, and will continue to be actively involved. Thousands of Wagner Group mercenaries arrive in Belarus. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join us Lukashenko says
Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claims he will make the Belarusian military “the second (best) army in the world” as convoys of his mercenaries arrive in Belarus. The European Parliament calls on the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko for his role in
As NATO’s anticipated 2023 Vilnius Summit makes headlines, the alliance’s members urge Minsk to end its complicity in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda urges NATO to bolster its eastern flank, claiming Belarus is “no longer independent’ but rather a “province of Russia.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko urges Belarusians to “calm down” after the presumed arrival of Wagner Group mercenaries following their day-long insurrection in Russia. Rumors continue circulating about whether camps to house Wagner troops are under construction. Lukashenko claims that the Wagner Group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin is back in Russia. After
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claims Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has arrived in Belarus several days after his day-long insurrection in Russia. Meanwhile, Lukashenko denies claims that camps for Wagner mercenaries are under construction in Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin claims Wagner troops that do not want to join Russia’
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that the first of Russia's tactical nukes destined for Belarus have arrived. Ukraine denies Putin's claim, saying Russia has yet to deliver a "single nuclear warhead" to Belarus. PACE urges "practical support" for exiled Belarusians, calling on its members to make legal entry, stay, and
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claims that Russian tactical nukes will arrive in Belarus within “days,” noting he won’t hesitate to use them should Belarus “face an aggression.” Belarus doesn’t have the launch codes. A draft bill awaiting Lukashenko’s approval proposes expanding the reasons for which martial law
May 30 marks 24 years since the tragic Niamiha stampede, when thousands rushed into an underground passageway of Minsk’s Niamiha metro station, killing over 50 and injuring around 400. In a controversial speech at the 2023 Globsec summit in Bratislava, French President Emmanuel Macron claims Western sanctions “pushed Belarus
Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko says nuclear weapons are already on their way to Belarus, claiming Russia will give nukes to any country that joins the Union State. Poland sanctions over 300 Belarusian officials and suspends freight traffic for Russian and Belarusian vehicles at its border in response to Minsk's decision
Eduard Babaryka, the son of jailed ex-presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, goes on trial after spending three years in a pre-trial detention center. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. In an unprecedented move, Belarusian authorities "pardon" jailed Belarusian activist Raman Pratasevich, who was given an eight-year
Belarusian authorities publish footage of dictator Alexander Lukashenko conducting work trips in an attempt to refute rumors of his poor health. His voice remains hoarse, his hand bandaged, just like at the Victory Day celebrations, after which he disappeared from the public eye. The European Parliament issued a resolution calling
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s swift departure from the Red Square Victory Day events sparks rumors about the dictator’s health. Belarusian blogger and political prisoner Mikalai Klimovich dies in custody. The 61-year-old was sentenced to a year in prison for “liking” a caricature of Lukashenko posted on social media.
Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko meets in Minsk with the head of Russia’s proxies in occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, offering to provide industrial and agricultural assistance. Meanwhile, Minsk continues to propel Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric, claiming that Belarus has the equipment, aircraft, and sites necessary to accommodate Russian nuclear
In a meeting with Russia's defense minister, Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko requested that Moscow defend Belarus "as its own territory" in the event of an attack. Meanwhile, Belarus' foreign minister meets with his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest to discuss the countries' continued economic cooperation. Two high-profile cases against Belarusian opposition
Nuclear disarmament The Spotlight segment provides readers with the historical context of contemporary events in Belarus. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join us Five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus went from having the world's eighth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons to becoming an entirely non-nuclear state.
