Tag Archives: Belarus

Russian Troops To Remain In Belarus “Indefinitely”

The Guardian reports: Russian troops sent to Belarus for military exercises will remain in the country indefinitely, Belarus’s defence ministry has said, in a decision that will further fuel concerns Moscow is planning an imminent Ukraine invasion. Belarus’s defence minister, Gen Viktor Khrenin, said Russian soldiers would stay after large-scale joint drills were completed on Sunday. He said the move …

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Putin Oversees Missile Tests With Belarus President

The New York Times reports: President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia presided over the theatrically timed test launches of three ballistic and cruise missiles on Saturday as part of what were described as nuclear deterrence exercises, in a blunt reminder to the West that any conflict over Ukraine could quickly escalate. Mr. Putin watched the display from a Kremlin command …

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Russia Launches Military Drills In Belarus [VIDEO]

Reuters reports: Russia started the active phase of military drills in Belarus on Thursday as Britain launched new diplomacy in a standoff over Ukraine, warning Moscow that going to war with its neighbour would be disastrous for Russia, Ukraine and Europe. U.S. officials have warned that Russia may attack Ukraine after massing troops near its borders, and have accused Moscow …

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Belarus: We’ll Go To War If The West Attacks Russia

Politico Europe reports: Russia has sent thousands of troops into Belarus, but the country’s authoritarian leader said Friday there will only be war if “aggression is committed against Belarus” or “our ally Russia.” “If our country faces an aggression, there will be hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers here, who will defend this sacred land together with hundreds of thousands …

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Belarus Threatens To Cut Off Gas Supply To Europe

The Washington Post reports: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko opened another potential front against Europe on Thursday, threatening to choke off gas supplies amid a deepening crisis that has brought migrants surging to E.U. borders and Western leaders planning to retaliate with more sanctions. Lukashenko’s warning jolted energy markets and further suggested his authoritarian regime still had the backing of its …

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Russia Flies Bombers Over Belarus Amid Migrant Crisis

Reuters reports: Russia blamed the European Union on Wednesday for the migrant crisis on the border between Belarus and Poland, accusing it of trying to “strangle” Belarus with plans to close part of the frontier and urging it to talk directly with Minsk. As migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa made new attempts to break into Poland overnight, …

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FBI Most Wanted Rioter Seeks Asylum In Belarus

The Moscow Times reports: A man on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for allegedly attacking police during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot is now seeking asylum in Belarus, the ex-Soviet country’s state-run television reported Sunday. Evan Neumann, 48, is wanted in the United States on charges of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, as well as for …

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Belarusian Olympic Sprinter Granted Visa By Poland

Reuters reports: A Belarusian athlete who took refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Monday a day after refusing her team’s orders to board a flight home from the Olympic Games has been granted a humanitarian visa by the Warsaw government. Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya plans to leave for Poland in the coming days, a Polish deputy foreign minister, Marcin …

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Belarusian Olympian Asks For Protection After Being Taken To Airport Against Her Will, Plans To Seek Asylum

Reuters reports: A Belarusian sprinter said she was taken to the airport against her wishes on Sunday to board a flight back home after she complained about national coaches at the Tokyo Olympics. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who was due to compete in the women’s 200 metres on Monday, told Reuters she did not plan to return to her home country. She …

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Belarusian Dissident Attempts Suicide In Court [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: An opposition activist in Belarus stabbed himself in the throat with a pen during a court hearing on Tuesday after claiming that investigators had threatened to prosecute his family and neighbors if he did not plead guilty. A video clip recorded just after the stabbing showed the activist, Stepan Latypov, lying on a bench inside …

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New Rules In Belarus: Citizens May Not Leave Country

Deutsche Welle reports: Belarus’ border security agency on Monday announced a severe tightening of already strict rules limiting citizens’ ability to exit the country. Citizens have fled the country since Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of a disputed presidential election last August and mass protests over election rigging were met with a severe crackdown. Faced with the prospect of …

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Turkey Pushed NATO To Water Down Belarus Reaction

Reuters reports: Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two diplomats familiar with the matter told Reuters. NATO‘s 30 allies released a two-paragraph statement on Wednesday condemning the forcing down of a Ryanair flight to arrest journalist Roman …

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Belarusian President Denies Forcing Airliner To Land

The Associated Press reports: Belarus’ authoritarian president defended Wednesday his decision to tell a passenger jet to land in his country and accused European leaders of waging a “hybrid war” to “strangle” his nation by ordering up new sanctions for diverting the flight and arresting an opposition journalist who was aboard. Speaking before lawmakers and top officials, President Alexander Lukashenko …

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European Union Bars Airlines From Belarus Airspace

The Washington Post reports: European leaders on Monday agreed to impose sectoral sanctions on Belarus and to bar E.U. airlines from flying over the country’s airspace, dealing a potentially crushing blow to the economy, a day after Belarusian authorities forced down a civilian jet and pulled off a dissident journalist. The measures, backed by all 27 E.U. leaders, were an …

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EU Vows Sanctions After Belarus “Hijacks” Airliner

The Washington Post reports: European leaders on Monday were considering a plan to sever Belarus from the rest of the continent’s airspace, a day after Belarusian authorities forced a commercial airliner to land and arrested a dissident journalist who had been flying from Athens to Lithuania. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that AirBaltic, a major airline in the region, …

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Belarus President Lies That NATO Is Poised To Invade

Deutsche Welle reports: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko today accused NATO of deploying tanks and planes to Belarus’ western border, a claim the military alliance rejected. Speaking at a rally of his supporters in central Minsk, the 65-year-old leader dismissed opposition calls for a new election and urged Belarusians to defend their country. “I called you here not to defend me, …

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Putin Offers Military Help To Quell Belarus Protests

Reuters reports: Russia said on Sunday it had told Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko it was ready to offer military assistance if necessary as demonstrators held one of the biggest protests yet against Lukashenko’s contested re-election. The protest in Minsk attracted tens of thousands of people, despite the deaths of at least two protesters and thousands of detentions since last Sunday’s …

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US Condemns Belarus Election As “Not Free And Fair”

Via press release from the State Department: The United States is deeply concerned about the conduct of the August 9 presidential election in Belarus, which was not free and fair. Severe restrictions on ballot access for candidates, prohibition of local independent observers at polling stations, intimidation tactics employed against opposition candidates, and the detentions of peaceful protesters and journalists marred …

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Over 1300 Detained In Belarus Election Eve Crackdown

Reuters reports: Authorities in Belarus on Saturday detained Maria Kolesnikova, a prominent member of the opposition campaign challenging President Alexander Lukashenko in a presidential election, the campaign team said. Human rights groups say more than 1,300 people have been detained in a crackdown ahead of Sunday’s election in an attempt to clamp down on street protests that pose the biggest …

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Belarus President Who Touted Vodka Cure Has COVID

Reuters reports: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday he caught the coronavirus and recovered “on his feet” without showing any symptoms, sounding a defiant tone as he addressed military leaders in Minsk. Lukashenko, 65, has resisted calls for strict lockdown measures to contain the pandemic, dismissing fears about COVID-19 as a “psychosis” and suggesting remedies such as drinking vodka, …

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