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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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Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones hit 2 Russian Su-27 jets in Crimea, intelligence agency says

Key developments on Dec. 20-21: * Ukrainian drones hit 2 Russian Su-27 jets in Crimea, intelligence agency says * France and Russia signal openness to holding separate talks as US-led peace efforts remain inconclusive * 50 civilians in Sumy Oblast abducted and forcibly taken to Russia, ombudsman says * Ukraine to replace head of Southern Air Command following repeated deadly Russian strikes in Odesa Oblast Ukrainian long-range drones have struck two Russian Su-27 fighter jets at the Belbek

‘We are f–king fascists’ — Pussy Riot memoir looks at everything wrong with Russia

Upon being released from prison in December 2013 after serving time for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred,” Russian political activist Maria Alyokhina observes that she and her fellow Pussy Riot punk group members “arrived in a different country.” Outwardly, Russia sought to convey to the world during this period that it was a serious global power through events such as the Sochi Winter Olympics. The reality, as Alyokhina writes, was completely different: just a few months later, Russi

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The Kyiv Independent’s coverage of news on Russia. Spanning eleven time zones across Eastern Europe and Asia, Russia has an estimated population of 146 million people. Russia’s capital city is Moscow, which is home to almost one in 10 Russians. Russia’s official currency is the Russian Ruble.

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