Putin grants Belarusians residing in Russia right to vote, run in local elections
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on July 23 that grants Belarusian citizens permanently residing in Russia the right to vote and run in local elections.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is considered one of Putin's closest allies. The two leaders have increased cooperation as their countries face isolation from the West due to Russia's war against Ukraine.
Minsk already allows Russian citizens permanently residing in Belarus to vote and participate in its own local elections.
Belarus and Russia signed a Union State treaty in 1999, which aims to deepen relations and bilateral integration.
Authorities in Belarus have welcomed the move and have called for Belarusian citizens to be given the right to participate in regional elections, Russian state media reported.
The two countries partner in various fields, including defense policy.
On July 23, Belarus signaled that it could reverse its earlier decision to move the Zapad-2025 military drills inland, citing what it called escalating military activity by Poland and Lithuania near its borders.
Belarusian Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Muraveika said Minsk originally chose to move the joint Russian-Belarusian drills away from the western frontier to ease tensions, but that decision may now be reconsidered.
"Given the difficult military and political situation and the fact that Belarus is constantly accused of aggressive intentions, we have made a decision and moved the areas of the event away from the borders," Muraveika said. "But our Western colleagues began to speculate on this process."
