Contents tagged with Minsk

  • Kyiv: Ukraine will no longer continue Donbas talks in Minsk

    After the lockdown, which is in force during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyiv will not send its delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) in Minsk for talks on settlement in the Donbas, stated the Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied, Oleksii Reznikov, on air of the Ukrainian TV channel ICTV, adding that Ukraine intends to look for another platform to continue negotiations.

    "We have firmly informed that we will not participate in the TCG meetings if the quarantine is …

  • 31-year-old man beaten by Lukashenko’s security forces dies in Minsk

    31-year-old Roman Bondarenko died in Minsk after he was beaten by security forces, reports TUT. BY.

    On the night of November 12, Roman was taken to the intensive care unit of the Emergency Care Hospital. The doctors operated on him for several hours but could not save him. His sister Olga said that when her mother went to the hospital, she was briefly allowed to see him in intensive care.

    Roman was in a coma, connected to several devices, covered in bruises and bandages. At 19:00 the man's …

  • More than 1000 protesters detained in Belarus on Sunday

    On Sunday, November 8, more than a thousand people were detained at peaceful protests in Belarus.

    According to the human rights center Viasna, among 1,023 detainees are journalists, athletes, actors, scientists and cultural figures.

    Protesters were detained not only in Minsk, but also in Gomel, Bobruisk, Vitebsk and Grodno.

    Most of them were taken to district police stations. Some were transferred to the pre-trial detention center, some were released.

    Yesterday, the media reported on the …

  • Kyiv prepares plan B for reintegration of Donbas

    The Presidential Administration is working to achieve peace in the Donbas by the end of the year, stated the head of the president's office Andrii Yermak, as cited RBC-Ukraine.

    If peace cannot be achieved within the specified time frame, Plan B will be used, as Kyiv will not wait for years if "that side does not want to stop the war," Yermak added.

    "But by the end of the year we intend to do everything we can, and the increased work of the Trilateral Contact Group is proof of that. But we …

  • Moscow may deny loan to Minsk

    Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov announced on Saturday that Russia had not made a decision yet whether to allocate $600 million government loan to Belarus. Siluanov noted that Belarus might not receive a loan in all, reports Interfax news agency.

    According to the Russian Finance Minister, the difficulties with the allocation of funds will not affect the plan of the two countries to integrate the economies. Now, a "road map" is developed, which will determine the specific tasks for the …

  • Russian military attaché expelled from Belarus for espionage

    Russian military attaché  Roman Spiridonov was expelled from Belarus for espionage, reports sprotyv.info news outlet.

    The publication writes that Roman Spiridonov "is not a diplomat at all." His main task is intelligence activities.

    "However, he doesn't carry out his functions professionally, because his track record already has a high-profile failure – his expulsion from France, also on charges of espionage," the newspaper writes.

    This is not the first incident this year, connected to the …

  • Belarusian government faces problems with $600 million loan from Russia

    Belarus has had problems arranging a $600 million government loan from Russia, said Belarusian Finance Minister Maxim Yermolovich, as cited by BelTA.

    The finance minister explained that Minsk had planned to repay its foreign debts this year using a $600 million loan from the Russian government, a $200 million tranche from the Eurasian Stabilization and Development Fund, a $700 million budget surplus, and funds borrowed on the internal market.

    “In principle, it was enough to completely close …

  • At the next meeting in Minsk Ukraine to discuss lifting of economic blockade on LPR and DPR

    At its next meeting, the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ukrainian representatives will discuss lifting the economic blockade on territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as  stated by the OSCE Special Representative in the TCG Martin Sajdik in Minsk, as reported by  .

    “Kuchma proposed (lifting the economic blockade) and LNR and DNR representatives voiced their support as well. This proposal will be considered during the next economic session,” Interfax-Ukraine quotes Sajdik as saying. …

  • Belarus hopes that it will maintain good relations with Ukraine after Poroshenko's departure

    Minsk hopes that Ukraine has a clear understanding of the importance of relationships with Belarus, stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Vladimir Makei during the conference that was dedicated to the decade of the Eastern Partnership, BelTA reports.

     "I talked a lot on this topic with my colleague Klimkin. I think there is a clear understanding in Ukraine that Belarus is an important partner and they should never expect any negative actions from Belarus towards Ukraine," the …

  • Zelensky to Putin: You should not speak to Ukrainians in language of threats

    Newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has published a response to Russia’s decision to grant Russian citizenship to residents of the occupied territories in eastern Ukraine.

    “Firstly, I would not advise the Russian authorities to waste time trying to tempt Ukrainian citizens with Russian passports. Perhaps there are those who are still under the influence of propaganda. Perhaps some will do it for profit or in an attempt to hide from criminal investigations. We could even …