The Kyiv Independent is continuing to provide readers with a weekly roundup to help explain current events in Belarus. To receive the Belarus Weekly newsletter subscribe via this LINK. Reports indicate increased Russian presence in Belarusian airspace as Belarus cedes control of one of its air bases to Russia. Belarus’
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began simultaneously from four main directions, one of them involving Belarusian territory. Soon after, Belarusian troops were expected to join the war directly. However, four months into Russia’s war, Belarus' autocrat Alexander Lukashenko continues to hold out on sending his soldiers to war.
The Kyiv Independent is continuing to provide readers with a weekly roundup to help explain current events in Belarus. To receive the Belarus Weekly newsletter subscribe via this LINK. Ukraine was again at the center of Belarus’ domestic agenda. Belarus' Independence Day was marred by allegations from the country’s
Although Russia surpasses Ukraine in terms of weapon capabilities, the number of troops it has committed to Ukraine is insufficient for the full-scale war it’s waging. Russia’s hawks have urged Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to introduce martial law and to initiate full or partial mobilization to expand the
The Kyiv Independent is continuing to provide readers with a weekly roundup to help explain current events in Belarus. To receive the Belarus Weekly newsletter subscribe via this LINK. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the sixth time this year, taunting the world with
Russia is attempting to sow hatred between Belarusians and Ukrainians, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in a statement on June 28. “We cannot be divided, as it only helps the enemy,” Tsikhanouskaya said in her public response to an earlier address by President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Belarusians will do everything
The Kyiv Independent is continuing to provide readers with a weekly roundup to help explain current events in Belarus. To receive the Belarus Weekly newsletter subscribe via this LINK. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko permitted foreign military attachés to observe Belarus’ military drills and renewed the country’s commitment to providing
The peaceful lives of Ukrainians were abruptly shattered by the incoming missiles that marked the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24. Many of those missiles were fired from Belarus. The regime under Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, held afloat by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has permitted Russian troops
Belarus continues to keep Ukraine on high alert by conducting military drills near the border. Government-sponsored disinformation is inciting panic, claiming that Belarus’ border is being breached by Ukrainian forces. Russian military vehicles are also seen withdrawing from the country. Belaruskali, Belarus’ main potash company, struggles to receive payments under
The Kyiv Independent is continuing to provide readers with a weekly roundup to help explain current events in Belarus. To receive the Belarus Weekly newsletter subscribe via this LINK. Belarusian propaganda is bolstering its depiction of Ukraine as a vile state. Meanwhile, the military is mining the country’s borders
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko continues to threaten to invade Ukraine, has created a separate southern military command, is conducting military exercises on the border with Ukraine, and plans to establish a new defensive “people’s militia.” Amendments to Belarus’ criminal code making attempted acts of terrorism punishable by death have
Unable to overcome a domestic political crisis in the country caused by the fraudulent 2020 presidential elections, the regime of Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko turned his country of 9.5 million people into a grim place. Furthermore, Lukashenko’s regime, held afloat by Russian President Vladimir Putin, became a co-belligerent
At the toughest moment in the history of relations between Ukraine and Belarus, the Kyiv Independent sat down to speak with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarus opposition in exile. Back in 2020, Tsikhanouskaya contested Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election. There is evidence that the election
Belarus' parliament approved a bill on May 4 to amend the country’s criminal code, introducing capital punishment for acts of "attempted terrorism." Previously, the death penalty was assigned to those that committed terrorist acts that resulted in casualties. Belarus’ State Security Committee, or KGB, has a long list of
As Russia fails to inflict quick defeat upon Ukraine after four days of fierce hostilities, Vladimir Putin is about to pull his Belarusian ally, dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko into his war of occupation. Amid many speculations, multiple sources say the decision has been made — and as soon as on Feb. 28
Russia's blatant "recognition" of its own puppet enclaves in Ukraine's Donbas bears a striking resemblance to the events of 2008, when the Kremlin tore off a part of Georgia and invented the “states” of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In its ongoing war in eastern Ukraine, Moscow has so far followed
Kyrgyz investigative journalist Bolot Temirov was arrested on Jan. 22, days after publishing exposes on allies of President Sadyr Zhaparov. He is facing drug charges, which he says are falsified. The move is an alarming development for Kyrgyzstan, which has fared well in terms of free speech until recently, compared
Russia has begun sending its troops and combat vehicles to Ukraine’s northern neighbor Belarus ahead of next month’s joint military exercises, in a move likely to stir Western fears that Moscow is preparing to further invade Ukraine. Belarus's defense ministry announced on Jan. 18 that Russian troops have
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry put out a statement on Jan. 10 condemning the violence in Kazakhstan over the past week, surprising many with the communiqué’s cautiousness and lateness. The statement came three days after that made by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and two days after that
The Kazakh authorities on Jan. 8 arrested an influential ally of ex-President Nursultan Nazarbayev as an uprising continued in the country. The National Security Committee said that Karim Masimov, the committee’s now-dismissed head, had been arrested on treason charges amid violent protests, one of the aims of which is
Kazakh government forces appear to have gained the upper hand in their standoff with protesters, but the uprising in the country continued on Jan. 7. According to Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry, 26 armed protesters and 18 government troops had been killed during clashes nationwide since the beginning of the uprising.
Kazakhstan faces an uncertain future as a Russian-led military contingent arrived in the country on Jan. 6 to support embattled president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev amid mass anti-government protests. What started as a demonstration over fuel prices in one city on Jan. 2 rapidly spread nationwide, culminating in large-scale armed clashes over
President Volodymyr Zelensky held meetings with the leaders of France and Germany to gather support for Ukraine on Dec. 15 in Brussels, on the sidelines of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership summit. The Eastern Partnership is a joint initiative organized by the EU and dedicated to the development of
A Belarusian court on Dec. 14 sentenced opposition leader and popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky to 18 years in a high-security prison. Five other suspects in the Tikhanovsky case were jailed for 14 to 16 years. The verdict is a new low in what has been described as the biggest wave
Ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has ended his 50-day hunger strike, AFP reported on Nov. 20, citing his doctor Nikoloz Kipshidze. Saakashvili agreed to end the hunger strike following his transfer to a military hospital’s intensive care unit after he fell unconscious in a Tbilisi prison on Nov. 18.
What is happening in Georgia? Ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, a Ukrainian citizen, returned to Georgia on Oct. 1. He was arrested upon arrival and jailed on what he says are trumped-up charges. He has been on a hunger strike since his arrest. On Nov. 18, he was transferred to an
Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has been transferred to an intensive care unit after falling unconscious in a Georgian jail, a Georgian news agency reported on Nov. 18. Saakashvili is a Ukrainian citizen and the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Executive Committee for Reform. Saakashvili arrived in Georgia
The border encampments that housed Middle Eastern migrants had been cleared out by the Belarusian government as of the morning of Nov. 18, the New York Times reported. Some people were moved to a government warehouse. However, Western officials remain concerned that the crisis may not be over. Since July,
Ukraine’s military intelligence conducted an unsuccessful sting operation to capture 33 Kremlin-backed Wagner Group mercenaries in July 2020, the Bellingcat investigative project reported on Nov. 17. According to the investigation, the operation failed after President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak told intelligence officials to delay the mercenaries’
What is happening in Belarus? Since July, Belarusian authorities have allowed thousands of refugees from the Middle East to come to Belarus and cross the country’s borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Many of them have tried to break through using force — 11 people have been killed as a
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