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Lukashenko trades prisoners for sanctions relief — and keeps the upper hand
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Lukashenko trades prisoners for sanctions relief — and keeps the upper hand

by Maria Yeryoma

As dust settles from a historic deal that saw Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko free 123 political prisoners in exchange for a partial U.S. sanctions relief, the main question remains unanswered — what now? Trump’s newly appointed special envoy, John Coale, arrived in Minsk on Dec. 12 and secured the biggest prisoner release so far, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figures Viktar Babaryka and Maria Kalesnikava walking free the following day. The inc

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Saturday, December 27

Ukrainian lawmakers exposed getting cash for votes, anti-corruption agency says

Earlier in December, Ukrainian news site Zn.ua reported, citing its sources, that NABU had wiretapped the office of Yuriy Kisel, a lawmaker for the Servant of the People party, and the head of the Parliamentary Transport Committee. The investigation concerned cash allegedly handed out to the ruling party lawmakers at the office.

This place in Ukraine keeps birds safe from the war

KOZHYCHI, Lviv Oblast — When approaching the quaint yard of Viktor Shelvinsky's house, one can scarcely believe it serves as a haven for hundreds of birds of all kinds. But quickly, the entry gate gives way to a spacious garden filled with aviaries of different shapes and sizes, housing storks, buzzards, pheasants, owls, and parrots. Shelvinsky, a 48-year-old veterinarian, has built the Free Wings (Vilni Kryla) rehabilitation center around his house on the outskirts of Lviv. He takes care of a

Visitors at the Free Wings rehabilitation center in Kozhychi, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 27, 2025

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