Contents tagged with Belarus

  • Minsk: Russia introduced a border zone without notification

    Russia made the decision to establish a border zone with Belarus without prior warning, as stated by the press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, Maria Vanshina, Belta reported.

    "First, the fact that Russia decided to establish a border zone on the border with Belarus without prior notice is contrary to all effective agreements governing the protection of state borders between the two countries and the border crossing agreements," Vanshina said.

    According to her, this is not the …

  • For first time, Russia imposed a border zone along the border with Belarus

    The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) established a border zone along the border with Belarus in the Pskov, Smolensk, and Bryansk regions, as was stated in the order of the Director of FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, which was published on the legal information website.

    These border zones are necessary to "establish the necessary conditions for the protection of the border of the Russian Federation."

    The regional offices of the FSB in the Smolensk, Pskov, and Bryansk regions will establish …

  • Russian Deputy PM: Russia and Belarus failed to make progress in dispute over gas payments

    Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said Moscow insists that Minsk pay the full amount owed for gas that Belarus received from Russia last year, TASS reported.

    According to him, no progress has been made in talks between the two countries on the matter.

    "We continue talks; no progress there, the arguments remain unchanged. Settlement options are changing, but as yet we have not found mutually acceptable ones,” Dvorkovich stated.

    "Anyway, we insist on full settlement of the last …

  • Lukashenko orders that a replacement for Russian oil be found

    The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, ordered the state to replace Russian oil supplies with alternate suppliers, as was reported on Friday, 20 January, by BelTa.

    It is noted that the order was given against the background of a reduction in Russian oil supplies to Belarus.

    “There is no catastrophe, but reduced Russian oil supplies should be replaced with alternative sources,” the head of the country stated. According to him, new routes have been not only worked out, but also tested. …

  • Polish diplomats were not let into Russia through the border with Belarus

    Border guards turned away the Polish diplomats, who were trying to cross the Russian-Belarusian border in the Smolensk region.

    The incident occurred at the Krasnaya Gorka checkpoint. According to the FSB border management of the region, two cars with diplomatic license plates traveled from Belarus to Russia and were stopped at the border between the two countries on a Moscow-Minsk highway.

    A border guard spokesman, Alexander Laznenko, explained that there are no border control staff that …

  • Lukashenko introduces visa-free travel to Belarus for citizens of US and EU

    The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, signed a decree establishing a visa-free policy for citizens of 80 countries, including the U.S.A. and EU countries, for a maximum period of five days, as reported on the website of the President of Belarus.

    The decree extends to 39 European countries including the whole European Union, Brazil, Indonesia, the U.S.A., Japan, and other countries. It is noted that the document is aimed at approving the visits of businessmen, tourists, and …

  • Lukashenko’s son doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of his father

    The youngest son of the President of Belarus, 12 year-old Nikolai Lukashenko, stated that he is not interested in becoming a successor to his father as head of state.

    Belarusian television aired an interview by a young Russian journalist, Yevgeny Grishin, with Nikolai Lukashenko.

    “Honestly, I would not like to be a president,” Lukashenko Junior said.

    “It would be a very complicated life. I’m not sure that I’m ready,” the son of the President added.He specified that he has not yet decided …

  • Russian envoy was summoned to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry due to 'unacceptable' history statements

    The Belarusian Foreign Ministry expressed its protest to the adviser of the Russian Embassy in Minsk, Vadim Gusev, in connection with the statements of the director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS), Leonid Reshetnikov, who called Belarus a part of Russia, BelaPAN reported.

    Minsk believes that Reshetnikov’s statements "are not founded on facts and are totally unacceptable in form."

    "They absolutely do not correspond to the strategic nature of the Belarusian-Russian …

  • Belarusian special forces will be able to participate in a special operation in Russia

    RIA Novosti reported that Belarusian special purpose units will be able to take part in anti-terrorist operations on Russian territory. The corresponding document for that, a draft international treaty, was signed by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

    The State Security Committee is authorized to conduct negotiations on the draft agreement. It is allowed, if necessary, to make changes and amendments to the agreement but not of a fundamental character.

  • Belarusian Ministry of Information accuses Russian media of insulting the Belarusian people

    The Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus calls on Russian authorities to take measures against media outlets that are challenging the sovereignty of the Republic.

    “An analysis of the information space revealed a recent increase in the emergence of information that is biased and, on occasion, blatantly destructive, towards Belarus, the authority of the country, and the Belarusian people, in a number of media and internet resources,” BelTA News quoted the Minister of Information, …