Belarus has started to block access several Ukrainian news websites for allegedly "discrediting the President of the Republic of Belarus," the Belarusian Prosecutor General's Office announced on June 28.
The blocked sites include hromadske.ua, glavred.info, spektr.press, news.online.ua, and tribun.com.ua, the statement said.
According to Belarusian authorities, the sites in question posted allegedly "false" and "extremist" content, supposedly promoting Belarusian citizens to oppose the state's authority.
Hromadske speculated that Minsk made this decision based either on its reporting of the Wagner Group rebellion against the Kremlin or sharing the address of Belarusian anti-government fighters to rise up against Lukashenko's regime.
Belarus is a co-belligerent in Russia's war, having facilitated the movement of Russian troops and equipment from Russia to Ukraine. It has also served as a launching pad for Russian attacks on Ukraine.
In Belarus, "insulting" the president is punishable by imprisonment.
Maria Yeryoma
(Updated: )
