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Putin ally Lukashenko declared winner of Belarus vote that West calls a charade

Reuters Belarusian leader and Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko extended his 31-year rule on Monday after electoral officials declared him the winner of a presidential election Western governments rejected as a sham. Lukashenko, who faced no serious challenge from the four other candidates on the ballot, took 86.8 per cent of the vote, according to initial […]

Lukashenko heads for massive win in Belarus election scorned by the West

Reuters Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was on track to extend his 31-year rule with a massive win in a presidential election on Sunday that Western governments rejected as a sham. An exit poll broadcast on state TV projected that Lukashenko would take nearly 88 per cent of the vote. The close ally of Russian President […]

Catholic priest in Belarus sentenced to 11 years as crackdown on dissent continues

Tallinn, Estonia AP A Catholic priest in Belarus on Monday was convicted on charges of high treason for criticising the government and handed an 11-year sentence, in the first case of politically-driven charges against Catholic clergy since Belarus became independent in the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The conviction and sentencing of Rev Henrykh […]

Major Russian air strikes destroy Kyiv power plant, damage other stations

Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Russian missiles and drones destroyed a large electricity plant near Kyiv and hit power facilities in several regions of Ukraine on Thursday, officials said, ramping up pressure on the embattled energy system as Kyiv runs low on air defences. The major attack more than two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion completely destroyed […]

Russia says it is hard to believe Islamic State could have launched Moscow attack

Moscow, Russia Reuters Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that it was “extremely hard to believe” that Islamic State would have had the capacity to launch an attack on a Moscow concert hall last Friday that killed at least 143 people. Zakharova repeated Moscow’s assertions, for which it has not yet provided […]

Lukashenko to run for president in 2025, Belarus blasts US over poll criticism

Moscow, Russia Reuters Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko said he would run for president again in 2025, Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported on Sunday. Lukashenko made his comments after voting in parliamentary and local council elections, denounced by the United States as a sham. The ex-Soviet state’s top election official dismissed the criticism and told […]

Belarus’ authoritarian leader tightens control over the country’s religious groups

In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko attends the New Year Eve's children's charity event held as part of the country's charity campaign Our Children, in the Palace of the Republic in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday, 28th December, 2023.

Tallinn, Estonia AP Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law into effect that significantly tightens control over various religious denominations and organisations. The law, published on the presidential website this week, mandates that all denominations and religious groups reapply for state registration, which authorities reserve the right to refuse. In this photo provided by […]

Thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Belarus – Yale research

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends the Commonwealth of Independent States leaders' summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 13th October, 2023.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands Reuters More than 2,400 children from Ukraine aged between six and 17 years old have been taken to 13 facilities across Belarus since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, research published by Yale University said on Thursday. Ukraine’s prosecutor general said in May that he was investigating the alleged role […]

Organise or fight? Three years in exile, Belarus opposition divided about path

Faces of Belarusian political prisoners are painted on a graffiti in Warsaw, Poland, on 25th July, 2023.

Warsaw, Poland Reuters Pavel Maryeuski, 33, was an activist committed to peaceful politics who had never held a weapon, when he fled his native Belarus after President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on protests following an election three years ago. Last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine, he felt the call to battle, and joined a Belarus volunteer unit fighting in support […]