Czechia is planning to propose a ban on grain imports from Russia and Belarus into European Union countries at next week's European Council meeting, Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny said on March 17.
The regional court in Belarus' Homyel sentenced Ukrainian citizen Nataliia Zakharenko to nine years in prison on espionage charges, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on March 15, citing its sources and Zakharenko's relatives.
European Commission will present a proposal next week on restricting Russian and Belarusian agricultural imports, Polish news outlet RMF24 reported on March 13, citing an anonymous EU diplomat.
The check will include live-fire exercises and the movement of military hardware on public roads that could limit civilian access.
Calling the European Commission to impose sanctions on Russian agricultural goods was one of the suggestions proposed by Ukraine to Poland to solve the ongoing blockade led by Polish farmers.
Warsaw calls for EU sanctions on Belarusian and Russian agricultural imports following Ukrainian investigation revealing multimillion-dollar trade between Poland and authoritarian neighbors. Belarus hits rock bottom in the annual Freedom in the World report, ranking it as the least free country in Europe and the 14th least free state in
The FSB alleged that the man was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence and was previously affiliated with the Belarusian Kastus Kalinouski regiment that has been fighting on the Ukrainian side against Russian forces.
The Latvian government on March 5 approved a list of Russian and Belarusian agricultural and food products that will be banned from importing into the country since March 8.
Poland plans to ask the EU to impose sanctions on Russian and Belarusian agricultural products and foodstuffs, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on March 4.
Ihar Karnei, a former freelance journalist with Radio Svaboda, the Belarus service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), will be tried in Minsk on March 19.
Tightly controlled parliamentary and local elections in Belarus, condemned internationally and dismissed by the opposition, ended on Feb. 25, bolstering dictator Alexander Lukashenko's decades-long rule. Amidst criticism of the "sham" vote, Lukashenko has declared he will run in the 2025 presidential elections. Western democracies impose new sanctions on Belarus on
While agricultural trade with Russia or Belarus is not prohibited or sanctioned in the EU, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently said that Warsaw would consider banning food imports from Russia, following Latvia's example.
Lithuania plans to screen 18,000 Belarusians who came to the country before 2022 on their view on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Migration Department Director Evelina Gudzinskaite said on Feb. 27.
South Korea plans to tighten export controls on Russia and Belarus for goods that could be used for military purposes, the South Korean Trade Ministry announced on Feb. 26.
Belarus opened polling stations for both the parliamentary and local elections on Feb. 25 amid condemnations from the Belarusian democratic opposition. The country is ruled by dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who uses rigged elections to solidify his regime rather than to provide a chance for actual democratic competition.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged democracies to “show their teeth” after the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison. The same week, a fifth Belarusian political prisoner died in custody. Meanwhile, early balloting for parliamentary elections in Belarus starts, with Lukashenko's law enforcers preparing to
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics argued that Russian grain imports support the Russian economy and, therefore, its army, and what is labeled as Russian grain may, in fact, be Ukrainian grain stolen from Russian-occupied territories.
Lithuania previously shut down two of its six border crossings in August 2023. The new announcement means that only two checkpoints, Myadininkai and Shalchyninkai, will remain open on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border.
According to the Viasna human rights group, Ihar Lednik is the fifth political prisoner to die behind bars in Belarus in the last two years.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's "death is further proof that for dictators, human life has no value."
Editor’s Note: The full names and some of the locations of the Belarusian citizens quoted in this article have been omitted at their request to protect their identities and those of their loved ones. After participating in protests and later witnessing the defeat of the Belarusian revolution in 2020,
The Belarusian police are summoning Ukrainians for interrogations more often, as well as increasing the number of searches of Ukrainians, according to Ukraine’s Resistance Center. The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify this information.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin signed an agreement in May 2023 to transfer tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, a process that Russian leader Vladimir Putin said had begun in June.
When Belarusian author Hanna Komar brought the manuscript for her poetry collection “Ribwort” to a publisher in Belarus in the summer of 2021, she was told that their business would be shut down if they published her work. Komar, like thousands of her fellow Belarusians, took part in the 2020-2021
Late last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin moved ahead with his threat to deploy nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. Echoing prior condemnation of this planned action, the U.S. State Department’s spokesman added: “we have seen no reason to adjust our strategic nuclear posture or any indications that Russia
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.
Viktar Babaryka, who ran against dictator Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election and is now a political prisoner, was hospitalized with a punctured lung and signs of physical abuse. Belarusian authorities continue to crack down on political activists, as a Minsk court sentences activist Raman Pratasevich to eight years
President Volodymyr Zelensky visits northwestern Volyn Oblast and checks border with Belarus. Belarus prepares for the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear missile systems as local units complete training in Russia. The number of political prisoners in Belarus reaches 1,500 people, with experts suggesting the actual figure may be much
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
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