Belarus

Belarus

Belarus targets dozens of government critics with raids, activists say

Mass arrests and convictions of government critics have continued since Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth term as president in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.

06/08/2025

Europe News

Putin threatens Europe with Oreshnik missile deployment to Belarus

Russia first used the Oreshnik against Ukraine in November, when it fired the experimental weapon at a factory in Dnipro that built missiles when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.

01/08/2025

Europe News

Belarus continues crackdown on political dissent, rights group says

Mass arrests and convictions of government critics in Belarus have continued since 2020, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in office in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.

01/07/2025

Belarus

Exclusive: Belarus releases political prisoners in surprise decision

The Belarus president pardoned several prisoners on Saturday during the visit of US special envoy Keith Kellogg in a move to ease tensions with the West.

21/06/2025

Belarus

Tsikhanouskaya: Lukashenka 'cannot be trusted' in US envoy visit

US envoy Keith Kellogg is reportedly due to travel to Minsk to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine with Belarus President Aliaksandr Lukashenka.

18/06/2025

Belarus

Russia might use Belarus to attack the Baltics, Tsikhanouskaya says

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews that her country might be used as a launchpad to attack and invade the Baltic states, but the people of Belarus will not go to war against their neighbours.

13/06/2025

The Europe Conversation

Dictators only understand language of 'power or strength', says Tsikhanouskaya

Belarus could be used as a launchpad for attacks on Ukraine and Western neighbours, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned on The Europe Conversation.

27/03/2025

Belarus

Belarus sentences Japanese man to 7 years in jail for espionage

Masatoshi Nakanishi was accused of taking photos of military facilities near Belarus' border with Ukraine and sharing them with Japanese intelligence.

18/03/2025

Belarus

Lukashenko offers to host 'hassle-free' Ukraine peace talks

The long-serving authoritarian leader is a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

05/03/2025

Belarus

Lukashenko orders search for rare earth minerals in Belarus

The move comes after US President Donald Trump tried to sign a rare earth minerals agreement with Ukraine.

04/03/2025

Europe News

EU signals further sanctions on Belarus after Lukashenko election win

Final votes are still being counted, and the result isn't expected to be released until later on Monday, but state television predicted Lukashenko would win with almost 88% of the vote.

27/01/2025

Belarus

Belarus election set to extend Lukashenko's iron-fisted 30-year rule

Belarusians will vote on Sunday in a presidential election that is all but certain to see President Alexander Lukashenko win a seventh term.

24/01/2025

Europe News

Jailed Belarus opposition figure seen for first time in two years

Viktar Babaryka was jailed for trying to run against President Alexander Lukashenko in a 2020 election and has been denied contact with his family.

09/01/2025

Belarus

Catholic priest in Belarus sentenced to 11 years as crackdown tightens

'The harsh sentence is intended to intimidate and silence hundreds of other priests ahead of January's presidential election,' human rights activist Pavel Sapelka said.

30/12/2024

Europe News

Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war

Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in a deal negotiated by the United Arab Emirates.

30/12/2024

Europe News

Belarus pardons 20 prisoners as Lukashenko seeks seventh term

Most were jailed following mass anti-government protests in 2020, when Lukashenko secured his sixth term in a vote widely condemned as fraudulent.

29/12/2024

Europe News

Authorities in Belarus arrest seven independent journalists

The Belarusian Association of Journalists said the seven journalists who worked for the Intex-Press online newspaper in the western city of Baranavichy were arrested earlier this month and charged with 'supporting extremist activities.'

13/12/2024

Europe News

Russia signs deal offering security guarantees to Belarus

The signing of the document during Putin’s visit to Minsk follows the publication of a revised version of Russia's nuclear doctrine which for the first time placed Belarus under the Russian nuclear umbrella.

07/12/2024

Belarus

Belarus' Lukashenko to face only pre-approved challengers in election

Alexander Lukashenko, who has led the country for over 30 years, has overseen a brutal crackdown on free media and opposition — which has slammed the upcoming January election as a farce.

05/11/2024

Europe News

Lukashenko denies presence of North Korean troops in Russia

The Belarusian leader accused the West of inflating facts to pressure EU and NATO and called for unconditional negotiations.

31/10/2024

Belarus

Belarus' Lukashenko to run again in January presidential election

Authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko expected to extend his term through election opposition call a "farce".

23/10/2024

Europe News

Belarus opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya urges global support

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the biggest challenger of President Alexander Lukashenko, talked to Euronews about her fight for a free Belarus from exile.

18/10/2024

Europe News

Tsikhanouskaya praises Lithuania's bid to prosecute Lukashenko at ICC

Belarusian president and other officials are accused of crimes against humanity, including the mass forced deportations of refugees.

01/10/2024

Europe News

Freed Belarusian activist fights for forgotten political prisoners

Natallia Hersche was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for participating in a political protest. She speaks to Euronews about conditions and her release.

25/09/2024

Belarus

Belarus endures Russification as native language fades away in schools

Belarus, which has created a political and military alliance with Moscow, is being further Russified as schools ditch the Belarusian language.

14/09/2024

Belarus

What is happening to Belarusian political prisoner Maria Kalesnikava?

It’s been four years since the authorities in Minsk imprisoned Belarusian musician and political activist Maria Kalesnikava. Her younger sister and political ally refuse to let her be consigned to oblivion.

06/09/2024