Contents tagged with Belarus

  • Putin and Lukashenko agree to meet in Moscow ‘in the coming weeks’

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held a telephone conversation during which they agreed to meet in Moscow, reported by the Kremlin's press service.

    "It has been agreed to hold a meeting in Moscow in the coming weeks," the statement reads.

    The Kremlin’s press service noted that during the conversation the "the sides confirmed their mutual aspiration to further strengthen the Russian-Belarusian alliance and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in …

  • Mass protests against Lukashenko sweep across Belarus

    Today, new mass protests are taking place in Belarus. On the birthday of President Alexander Lukashenko, thousands of people across the country are demanding his resignation.

    The largest protest rally is taking place in Minsk, where people gathered near Independence Square.

    Thousands of protesters chant "Go away!" to Lukashenko.

    On Independence Avenue, the security forces lined up in chains, and people surrounded them from both sides. Journalists report that there are skirmishes and scuffles …

  • Putin: Russia considers elections in Belarus complete

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview on Rossiya 1 TV channel that the presidential elections, which were held in Belarus in early August, can be considered complete.

    "We assume that the elections have been completed," he said.

    Putin congratulated Lukashenko on his victory before the official results were announced. In a congratulatory address, the Russian president said that he expects to deepen cooperation within the framework of the Union State and expressed hope that …

  • Putin forgives Lukashenko’s $1 billion debt

    President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has reached an agreement with Vladimir Putin to refinance Minsk's 1 billion dollars debt owed to Russia.

    "We have agreed with the President of Russia, and today our Prime Minister will hold talks with Mikhail Mishustin about refinancing," said Lukashenko at a meeting on the development of the essential organizations of the Ministry of Industry.

    "That is, we will keep this billion dollars loan, as agreed with Russia, we will keep it," he explained, …

  • Russia sends paratroopers to Belarus for military exercises

    Russian paratroopers from the Moscow Airborne Guards Unit are in Belarus, Interfax reports, citing the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry.

    On Thursday, together with their Belarusian colleagues, they conducted exercises to practice storming a building at the test site near Brest.

    Russian servicemen parachuted out of the Mi-8 MTV-5 helicopter, stormed, freed the hostages and cleared the building seized by a hypothetical enemy.

    The "urban assault" is "one of the most difficult …

  • Putin: Detention of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus is a joint operation between Ukrainian and American special services

    Russian President Vladimir Putin called the detention of Wagner militants in Belarus a joint operation of Ukrainian and American special services.

    "Now it is obvious. This is an action of special services. People were unknowingly moved to the territory of Belarus... They were simply dragged into the territory of Belarus and presented as a possible strike force for swaying the situation during the election campaign. Which was completely untrue. People were on their way to work in a third …

  • Kyiv suspends all contacts with Belarus

    Kyiv has suspended all contacts with Minsk amid the political crisis in Belarus, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba .

    "Now, in fact, all the processes, all contacts with the Belarusian side have been paused. I can officially tell you. We are monitoring the situation. And only when we are convinced that these contacts will not bear any reputational, political or moral losses for Ukraine, these contacts will be restored," he said.

    According to him, Ukrainian President Volodymyr …

  • Russia prepares security forces for deployment to Belarus

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia has formed a reserve of law enforcement officers for deployment to Belarus. Russian security forces are in full readiness and will be transferred to Belarus in case the situation there gets out of the control of the local authorities, said Putin during an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel.

    According to him, the reserve of Russian security forces was created after a request from Lukashenko. At the same time, Putin promised that he would not be …

  • Russia warns Washington against interfering in Belarus internal affairs

    Russia warned the United States against interfering in the internal affairs of Belarus.

    "Russia warns the United States and the EU against any form of interference in the internal affairs of Belarus, including open calls for anti-government demonstrations in some capitals," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, after a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Bigan in Moscow. The Russian side also stressed that attempts to exert …

  • Russia to supply armored personnel carriers and combat helicopters to Belarus

    Belarus will soon receive from Russia a batch of armored personnel carriers and several Mi-35M attack helicopters, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reports, citing the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

    According to the newspaper, the relevant contracts were signed at the international military-technical forum "Army-2020."

    "During the forum, a number of mutually beneficial contracts (...) were signed as part of the work done over the last year. The main ones are a contract for the supply of two …