Contents tagged with Belarus
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Russian airlines start bypassing Belarus’ airspace
Russian airlines have started to bypass Belarus’ airspace, despite the fact that the European restrictions do not apply to them.
Forbes reports, citing sources in the airline industry, that about 10 Russian flights flew around Belarus as of May 27.
"It is impossible to give the reasons for the change of routes and whether it is due to political motives," said one of the publication sources. "There may also be technical reasons."
According to another source, the airlines had asked in advance …
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U.S. and Poland launch investigations into Ryanair incident
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Poland have launched their own investigations into the emergency landing of the Ryanair plane in Minsk, which lead to an arrest of a well-known Belarusian oppositionist Roman Protasevich, said the head of the Criminal Police of Lithuania Rolandas Kiškis at a press conference in Vilnius.
"Along with the investigation launched in the Polish Republic, we have information from our colleagues from the United States that the FBI has launched its own …
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Lukashenko complains to Putin about pressure from the West
Self-proclaimed president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko complained about Western pressure during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Deutsche Welle reports.
The meeting between Putin and Lukashenko took place in Sochi on Friday, May 28.
Lukashenko complained about restrictive measures against Belarusian airlines, including the state-owned Belavia, after the incident with the forced landing of the Ryanair airliner.
"This case with the plane, Belavia has nothing to do …
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Moscow to open Russia's airspace for flights bypassing Belarus
Russian authorities decided not to continue the air war with the EU after European airlines began to fly around Belarus in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk.
On Thursday evening, Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviation, convened for an emergency meeting to discuss how to deal with European flights requesting permission to enter the Russian airspace.
A Vienna-Moscow Austrian Airlines flight and a Paris-Moscow Air France flight were denied entry into the …
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Ukraine bans flights to and from Belarus
The Ukrainian government approved a decision during an extraordinary meeting to ban the use of Ukrainian airspace by aircraft registered in Belarus, reported the press service of the Ukrainian government.
The ban will come into effect on May 29, 12:00 am Kyiv time . According to the statement, this decision was made after the incident with the Ryanair fight, which occurred on May 23.
"In order to ensure the safety of flights and passengers, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the State Aviation …
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EU prepares to block import of Russian gas through Belarus
The European Union is preparing to tighten the currency stranglehold around Alexander Lukashenko’s neck, whose regime is already losing a key source of export earnings after NAFTAN refinery was put on the U.S. "blacklist".
The European sanctions against Belarus in response to the forced landing of the Ryanair flight in Minsk may include measures against the transit of Russian gas through Belarus, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell.
The sanctions may be imposed on …
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Moscow refuses to allow European flights bypassing Belarus to enter Russia’s airspace
The Russian authorities seem to have come up with a response to air blockade of Belarus, which was introduced by the European Union after Lukashenko’s special operation to force the landing of the Ryanair flight in Minsk.
On Wednesday, Air France, Europe's third-largest airline by passenger traffic, was forced to reschedule an evening Paris-Moscow flight because it did not get a permission to enter Russian airspace.
The airline planned to fly around Belarus and requested permission to enter …
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Ukraine suspends electricity imports from Russia and Belarus
Ukraine has suspended imports of Russian and Belarusian electricity until October 1, 2021. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NKREKU).
The head of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission, Valery Tarasyuk, said that Energy Minister Herman Galuschenko initiated the decision. Thus, NKREKU cancels the results of annual auctions, which were used distributed transit volume for 2021 as part interstate agreements between …
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Merkel wants to question Putin about Russia's role in hijacking Ryanair plane over Belarus
German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that Russia's role in the story of the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk and the subsequent arrest of opposition blogger Roman Protasevich remains unclear. "It is well known that there are close relations between Belarus and Russia," she said at a press conference following the EU summit on Tuesday, May 25. As an example, confirming Moscow's possible involvement, Merkel mentioned the fact that some passengers of the plane did not fly to Vilnius …
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Lukashenko threatens the West with Third World War
Foreign detractors are waging a hybrid war against Belarus, treating it as a testing ground before their "attack on the East", said self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, speaking in the Belarusian parliament.
According to him, the real goal of "Western strategists" is Russia, against which "one well-known extremist channel, which was born from Belarusian problems, is already actively working."
"We are on the front line of not just a cold but already an icy war," …