Belarus

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Belarus Sentences Dissident to 8 Years in Penal Colony

Roman Protasevich was arrested in 2021 after an airliner he was on was forced down

(Newser) - A court in Minsk has sentenced an opposition activist whose flight was forced down by Belarus in 2021 so he could be taken into custody to eight years in a penal colony. State media said Wednesday that Roman Protasevich, 27, was charged with organizing mass riots, calling for sanctions against...

Poland Put Razor Wire Along Russia Border, Goes a Step Further

Nation to install barrier with 24-hour monitoring along its land border with Russia

(Newser) - Poland has begun building a state-of-the-art electronic barrier at its land border with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave to monitor and counteract any illegal activity, the Polish interior minister said Tuesday. The barrier, which will be equipped with 24-hour monitoring cameras and motion detectors, will run for 130 miles and is...

Belarus Sends Anti-War Dad Back to Russia

Alexei Moskalyov fled country after he was convicted of 'discrediting' military

(Newser) - A Russian man who fled the country after he was convicted of "discrediting" the country's military has been extradited from Belarus, a human rights group says. Alexei Moskalyov, 54, was arrested in Minsk last month, two days after he fled house arrest in Yefremov, south of Moscow. Hours...

Russia to Put Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus

Putin argues it's like the US agreements with European nations

(Newser) - President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The allies struck an agreement after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko raised the possibility, Putin told Russian state television, per the BBC . Russia will maintain control of the weapons, he said, likening the move to the US...

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Gets 'Simply Appalling' Sentence

Belarus activist Ales Bialiatski sentenced to 10 years in prison

(Newser) - Ales Bialiatski was in prison when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year and he was sentenced to another 10 years on Friday. The 60-year-old, one of three activists in Eastern Europe who shared the prize in 2022, was convicted of financing "activities that grossly violate public...

Drones Hit Russian Spy Plane, Belarusian Saboteurs Say

Opposition group claims responsibility for damaging Beriev A-50

(Newser) - Belarus opposition leaders said they launched a drone attack against a Russian military surveillance aircraft, successfully damaging it. The head of the exiled organization BYPOL claimed responsibility Sunday for the strike—which he said took place at an airfield near Minsk, the capital of Belarus—on the Telegram messaging app,...

It Looks Like Russian Athletes Will Compete in 2024 Games

But they may have to be neutral and not support the Ukraine war

(Newser) - Russia's path to sending a team to the Paris Olympics next year has become clearer amid fierce objections from Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee indicated on Wednesday it favors officially neutral athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus at the 2024 Olympics, despite a plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr...

They Came to Pick Up Their Nobels, Slam Putin's War

Peace prize winners from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia blasted Russian leader's invasion of Ukraine

(Newser) - The winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine shared their visions of a fairer world and denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine during Saturday's award ceremony. Oleksandra Matviichuk of Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties dismissed calls for a political...

Belarus Claims Alfred Nobel Is 'Turning in His Grave'

European leaders, meanwhile, praise recognition for rights activists in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia

(Newser) - Officials in Europe praised the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize to activists standing up for human rights and democracy in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, while authorities in Belarus scorned the move. "I hope the Russian authorities read the justification for the peace prize and take it...

Belarus Dissident's Girlfriend Hears Her Fate in Court

Sofia Sapega gets 6 years behind bars for inciting social hatred; Roman Protasevich's trial pending

(Newser) - Update: It's been a year since the plane on which Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Protasevich and his Russian girlfriend were flying was forced to land so the pair could be detained by Belarus. Now, the latter has heard her official fate. Sofia Sapega, 24, was sentenced Friday by a...

Belarus Leader Says Ukraine 'Operation' Has 'Dragged On'

We 'are doing everything now so that there isn’t a war,' Lukashenko says

(Newser) - Belarus’ authoritarian leader defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said he was doing “everything” to stop the war, in a sit-down interview with the AP on Thursday. President Alexander Lukashenko also said that he didn’t think Russia’s “operation” in Ukraine would "drag on this...

Russian Players Won&#39;t Be Allowed at Wimbledon: Report
Russia Reacts
to Report on
Wimbledon Ban
UPDATED
Apr 20, 2022 1:48 PM CDT

Russia Reacts to Report on Wimbledon Ban

Russian, Belarusian athletes have officially been barred from participating

(Newser) - This story has been updated throughout with the official announcement of the ban. Tennis players from Russia and Belarus have been banned from playing at Wimbledon in late June—and the Kremlin expressed its displeasure as soon as it heard a ban was in the cards. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov blasted...

People in Belarus Barely Know What It Means to Be Belarusian

A mural in a Minsk park gave them something to fight and die for

(Newser) - "The Battle for the Mural"—a New York Times Magazine piece by Sarah A. Topol—opens with a crime-thriller vibe: a man on a high-stakes mission, calculating every move through blind spots in the 40 security cameras he and his cohorts must dodge to reach the one place...

Alleged Capitol Rioter Granted Asylum in Belarus

Evan Neumann is wanted by the FBI for assaulting police officers on Jan. 6

(Newser) - Update: Evan Neumann has found an indefinite safe haven in Belarus. According to that nation's BelTA state media, the 49-year-old from Mill Valley, Calif., wanted by the FBI on charges of assaulting police officers at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, has been granted asylum by the Russian ally,...

As Belarus' Ambassador Left Ukraine, a Biting Gift

A border guard tossed 30 pieces of silver at Igor Sokol

(Newser) - The indications that Belarus will join Russia in its war against Ukraine may be building. Belarus, which al-Jazeera calls "Russia’s oldest and staunchest post-Soviet ally," has removed all its diplomats from Ukraine in the past few days. As Belarusian Ambassador Igor Sokol passed through a border checkpoint,...

Paralympics Does U-Turn on Russia, Belarus Athletes

They're now banned from Beijing Games

(Newser) - The 2022 Winter Paralympic Games kick off in Beijing Friday—and after an abrupt reversal from the International Paralympic Committee, athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be taking part. In a statement , IPC President Andrew Parsons said an "overwhelming number" of national committees had contacted the organization, with...

US Suspends Operations at Belarus Embassy

Nonessential staff at the Moscow embassy are leaving Russia

(Newser) - The State Department has closed the US embassy in Belarus and is allowing nonessential staff at the US Embassy in Russia to leave the country because of the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the suspension of operations at the Minsk embassy and the authorized departure from...

Belarus Expected to Join Ukraine Invasion: Official

Country could send troops as soon as Monday, official says

(Newser) - A senior US intelligence official says Belarus is expected to send troops into Ukraine as soon as Monday to fight alongside Russian forces that invaded Ukraine last week, the AP reports. Belarus has been providing support for Russia’s war effort, but so far has not taken a direct part...

Russian Troops Stay in Belarus Beyond Deadline
Russian Troops
Stay in Belarus 
Beyond Deadline
the rundown
Feb 20, 2022 3:45 PM CST

Russian Troops Stay in Belarus Beyond Deadline

US intelligence shows forces at Ukraine border have orders to invade

(Newser) - The Russia-Belarus military exercises that were scheduled to end Sunday didn't. Belarus announced that the drills would be extended and said a task force was being formed to "fight back if necessary." Western military analysts had predicted Russian troops wouldn't leave on schedule, despite promises by...

US Charges 4 With Air Piracy Over 2021 Ryanair Flight

Prosecutors say Belarus officials used fake bomb threat to divert Ryanair flight to Minsk

(Newser) - Update: American prosecutors have charged four officials in Belarus with air piracy over the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk last year—though there is little chance of the officials appearing in a US court. The indictment filed by federal prosecutors says a bomb threat the Ryanair pilot...

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