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Nearly 1,300 prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, Viasna Human Rights Center reported.
Maria Zaitseva joined the Ukrainian army after the start of Russia's full-scale war and fought with the 2nd International Legion Battalion.
OSCE observers not invited to monitor upcoming presidential election in Belarus. Belarus to host over 13,000 Russian troops for Zapad-2025 joint military drills with Russia. Belarus sentences EU diplomatic staffer to four years in prison. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join us Irregular crossings into EU from eastern
Belarus rejects President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko apologized for Belarus’s role in Russia’s war, blames external forces for dragging Belarus into conflict. Belarus shows opposition leader Viktar Babaryka for the first time after nearly two years of incommunicado detention. Poland to complete border wall
"This decision underscores the continued lack of commitment by the Belarusian authorities to invite other OSCE states to observe and provide an independent view on whether the elections are held in line with OSCE commitments and international democratic standards."
Photos and a video of Viktar Babaryka were published by blogger Raman Pratasevich on Jan. 8 after the jailed Belarusian opposition leader was held incommunicado since February 2023.
"No apologies have been made by the Belarus president to Zelensky, for the simple reason that we have nothing to apologize for," Lukashenko's spokesperson Natalia Eismont said.
Shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion began, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko apologized to President Volodymyr Zelensky over the country's involvement in the war, Zelensky revealed in an interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman published on Jan. 5.
The reported visit will be Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's third trip to China in three years. Lukashenko is likely looking to reduce Belarusian dependence on Russia, Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said.
Poland plans to complete its fortified border wall and close the border with Belarus by next summer, aiming to curb what it sees as Russia's and Belarus's "hybrid war" through illegal migration, Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk told the Financial Times on Dec. 29.
In 2024, Belarus, under dictator Alexander Lukashenko, continued to descend into totalitarianism, imprisoning people at will and providing full-fledged support to Russia in its brutal all-out war. Lukashenko signed a number of bilateral treaties with Russia's Vladimir Putin, helping him facilitate the major East-West prisoner swap that saw spies and
"If the Russians want to deploy more, we will deploy more," Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said.
The EU imposes new sanctions on Belarusian officials and companies supporting the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. In response to Belarus and Russia’s artificial migration crisis, the EU pledged 170 million euros for border security and backed Poland’s plan to suspend the right to asylum. Belarus labels exiled National
Two Belarusians and one Ukrainian were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 11 to 25 years by Belarusian authorities for their alleged involvement in preparing terrorist acts, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on Dec. 19.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 30 years, is looking to reelect himself for the seventh time. In the run-up to the January 2025 presidential elections, Lukashenko has pardoned prisoners convicted of extremism, claiming that it was a "humane gesture" toward those who had "gone astray.
Autocratic regimes like Russia are becoming increasingly bold in their efforts to undermine the principles and norms that came to define the democratic world order in the aftermath of World War II. A month after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov even declared
The sanctions target judges who sentenced opposition figures, law enforcement officials involved in persecuting dissidents, and heads of penitentiaries where political prisoners are held.
The proposed measures target more than a dozen individuals and three entities, including Russian intelligence officers and media entrepreneurs, according to Bloomberg. The sanctions aim to counter destabilizing operations globally.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko sign a security pact, announcing the potential deployment of Russian Oreshnik missiles in Belarus. Lukashenko frees 29 more political prisoners amid an ongoing pre-election civil society clampdown. Exiled Belarusian activists to face a record 17 in absentia charges for aiding
Svitlana Tsikhanouskaya, the most prominent Belarusian opposition leader, discussed efforts to maintain relations with Ukrainian authorities in a European Pravda interview on Dec. 10.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 6 to deploy Oreshnik missile systems in Belarus, a weapon Russia recently used to strike Ukraine, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Russian troops operated a torture chamber on Belarusian state-owned property in 2022, journalistic investigation reveals. Over 150 Russian drones flew into Belarusian airspace in November — three times the previous monthly record of incursions. The European Parliament urges stronger sanctions on Belarus, Iran, and North Korea for aiding Russia’s war
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 53 Shahed-type drones from Orel overnight on Dec. 6.
In Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus, helping to defend Ukraine against Russia gets you labeled as a terrorist. Vasil Verameichyk, a Belarusian who enlisted in Ukraine's Armed Forces just four days after Russia launched its all-out war, was detained on Nov. 13 in Vietnam in a suspected covert operation by Belarusian secret
Russia and Belarus are planning to set up three training centers to jointly train soldiers, Gennady Lepeshko, the Belarusian security and defense senior official, claimed on Dec. 3, state-controlled news outlet Belta reported.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on Nov. 30 officially cut ties with research institutes in Russia, following a decision to allow the cooperation agreement to expire in light of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Thirty-eight Russian combat drones enter Belarus on Nov. 24-25, marking the most significant overnight incursion so far and nearing the previous monthly record. Alexander Lukashenko threatens to shut down the internet in Belarus should protests occur during the 2025 presidential election. A Belarusian who fought on behalf of Ukraine as
Key developments on Nov. 28: * Russia's large-scale attack strikes a 'massive blow' at Ukraine's energy system * 'Putin wants to escalate' before Trump takes office — Zelensky hits back at Oreshnik threats * Ukraine destroys Russian $5 million radar system in Crimea, military intelligence claims * Netherlands hands over 3 Patriot air defense launchers
The chamber was located on Belarusian government-owned property in the town of Naroulia, not far from the border with Ukraine, the Belarusian Investigative Center reported
A record 38 Russian Shahed-type attack drones entered Belarusian territory overnight on Nov. 24-25, with at least one of the drones reportedly shot down by the Belarusian Air Force, the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun reported.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has stated that he may completely shut down the internet during the 2025 presidential elections if protests similar to those in 2020 arise, state-run news outlet Belta reported on Nov. 22.
