Contents tagged with Belarus
-
EU expands sanctions against Belarus
EU countries have decided to expand economic sanctions against Belarus, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after a two-day summit in Brussels.
The forced landing of a Ryanair flight to detain the founder and former chief executive of the opposition Telegram channel Nexta, Roman Protasevich, which the official Minsk initially attributed to Alexander Lukashenko's personal order and then tried to blame the alleged bomb threat from the Palestinian Hamas movement, is an "unacceptable violation of …
-
U.S. and EU demand suspending all air traffic over Belarus
Lukashenko’s special operation to force the landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk using combat aviation risks turning into a tightening of Western sanctions against Belarus, including expulsion from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and ban on civil flights over its territory.
The operation, which resulted in the detention of Roman Protasevich, founder and former editor-in-chief of the Telegram channel NEXTA, is an act of "state terrorism," Manfred Weber, head of the European …
-
Lukashenko diverts Ryanair flight, arrests opposition journalist
The founder of the opposition Telegram channel Nexta, Roman Protasevich, has been detained in Minsk. Protasevich was on board a Ryanair flight en route from Athens to Vilnius. The plane had to land at the national airport in Minsk after receiving a report that there was an explosive device on board.
On Lukashenko's order, a fighter jet was scrambled to escort the passenger plane with Protasevich on board, reports the pro-government Belarusian Telegram channel "Pool of the First." Lukashenko …
-
Lukashenko urges Putin to save Belarusian ruble
The threat of a full-fledged currency crisis in Belarus forces the self-proclaimed President, Alexander Lukashenko, to make concessions on the key direction of integration with Russia, in which he has been holding defense for years. This is the ability to control and print his own national currency.
After the imposition of US sanctions, which cut off the Belarusian economy from a fifth of export revenues, Lukashenko began to cautiously hint at the need to help maintain the Belarusian ruble …
-
Lukashenko allows security forces to use military equipment during rallies
The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has amended the national security laws. According to the new amendments, the security forces are allowed to use military equipment "to suppress mass riots", reports Interfax.
The new law establishes the conditions and limits of the use of physical force, special means, weapons, combat and special equipment by law enforcement agencies. According to the document, the security forces are not responsible for the harm caused by these …
-
U.S. cuts off Lukashenko from main foreign currency source
Belarus began to have problems with the sale of oil products abroad, a key source of income in hard foreign currency for the country's economy.
Argus Media reports, citing market sources, that European banks began to refuse to finance deals after the US announced the imposition of sanctions against the largest Belarusian refinery Naftan.
Although the sanctions officially come into force in June and formally apply only to American legal entities, the payment for Belarusian goods in dollars has …
-
Putin and Lukashenko agree to strengthen military cooperation
Russia and Belarus intend to expand cooperation in the defense field. "There are acute questions that need to be strengthened, including security, including defense in our union state," self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
According to Lukashenko, Moscow and Minsk will draw through their cooperation lines which no one should cross, and will adequately answer to those who do not understand that in this …
-
Belarus on verge of economic collapse as foreign currency reserves dry out
The National Bank of Belarus continues to lose its gold and currency reserves as the value of Belarus ruble continues to fall. In April the Belarusian ruble broke the "bottom" reached during the summer protests and set a new historical low.
In the five quarters from January 2020 to April 2021, foreign currency reserves of Belarus decreased by 25% - from $9.2 billion to $6.9 billion.
Since the beginning of 2021, the reserves of the National Bank have lost $310 million due to the repayment of …
-
Putin calls Lukashenko to discuss ‘threats coming from the West’
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Alexander Lukashenko and discussed with him "external threats from the Western direction,"reported the Telegram channel "Pool of The First" close to Lukashenko's press service.
It is noted that the presidents spoke for about half an hour and decided that "it is in the interests of both countries to develop integration processes and strengthen multifaceted cooperation."
"One of the main themes: epidemiology. Focus on vaccination and vaccine production. …
-
Putin gives Lukashenko $19 million and defers loan payments for two years
Russia is once again extending a financial helping hand to self-proclaimed president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.
In the next two years, Minsk will be able to not pay Russia $906 million in installments for the loan provided for the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. According to Interfax, the relevant protocol was ratified by the Russian Federation Council.
Under the new terms, Minsk's payments to Russia will be reduced by 3.5 times, to 370.8 million dollars.
The …