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☆ Belarus' leader undermined the Kremlin's dubious claims that Ukraine backed ISIS attackers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Lukashenko claims Belarus and Russian security prevented Moscow shooting suspects from entering Belarus. AdvertisementBelarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said his country's security, with the help of Russia's Federal Security Service, tried to prevent Crocus City Hall shooting suspects from entering Belarus. "There was no chance they could enter Belarus," Lukashenko said, reported the state-run Belarusian Telegraph Agency. Lukashenko's statements on the concert hall terror suspects fleeing towards Belarus undermine the Kremlin's claims that the suspects tried to escape to Ukraine first, in an attempt to link Ukraine to the attack. No credible evidence has emerged to suggest that Ukraine was involved in the attack that killed at least 139 people.

Persons: Lukashenko, Putin, —, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Maria Zakharova, Crocus Organizations: Service, Federal Security Service, Crocus, Belarusian Telegraph Agency, ISIS, Russian Ministry of Foreign Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Washington

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian military chief visits Ukraine after gains; Belarus signals armed patrols could take to streets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko called on law enforcement agencies on Tuesday to organise patrols with small arms on the streets of Belarusian cities to ensure the safety of people. Lukashenko said that while the crime rate in Belarus was decreasing, the country was at risk of crimes of an "extremist nature." Our patrol guys must be on the streets...Patrols must be armed with small arms, at least pistols." Lukashenko backed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by allowing Moscow to use its territory to launch the war and agreed last year to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in his country on Russia's western border. In power since 1994, Lukashenko staged a new crackdown on dissent after stamping out unprecedented demonstrations against what his opponents say was his rigged re-election in 2020.

Persons: Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, — Organizations: of Internal Affairs, KGB Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ Belarus President Lukashenko heading to China second time this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko delivers a national statement at the World Climate Action Summit during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 1, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 3 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was heading to Beijing on Sunday for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Belarusian state media reported, the second trip of the close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China this year. "Negotiations between the head of the Belarusian state and president of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping will take place in Beijing," BelTA said, citing Lukashenko's press service. Lukashenko, the president of Belarus since 1994 who has been shunned by the West, backed Russia's invasion in Ukraine in February 2022 by allowing Moscow to use its territory to launch the war. After their March 1 meeting, both Lukashenko and Xi called for the "soonest possible" peace deal for Ukraine.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Amr Alfiky, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, People's Republic of China Xi, BelTA, Xi, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, Beijing, Belarusian, China, People's Republic of China, Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Melbourne

☆ Belarus President Lukashenko Heading to China Second Time This Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was heading to Beijing on Sunday for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Belarusian state media reported, the second trip of the close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China this year. Lukashenko, who according to Chinese state media was welcomed with a gun salute and military honours during his official Feb. 28 - March 2 visit, was this time heading for "a working visit," BelTA state news agency reported. "Negotiations between the head of the Belarusian state and president of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping will take place in Beijing," BelTA said, citing Lukashenko's press service. Lukashenko, the president of Belarus since 1994 who has been shunned by the West, backed Russia's invasion in Ukraine in February 2022 by allowing Moscow to use its territory to launch the war. After their March 1 meeting, both Lukashenko and Xi called for the "soonest possible" peace deal for Ukraine.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, People's Republic of China Xi, BelTA, Xi, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Reuters, Sunday Locations: Beijing, Belarusian, China, People's Republic of China, Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Melbourne

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A prominent Belarusian dissident author who lives abroad said Thursday that his father was arrested on unclear grounds after police broke into his parents' apartment. The seven police officers, armed with automatic weapons, also took electronics and data files from the Minsk apartment, said Sasha Filipenko. His father was taken away for detention, but no charges were immediately stated. Political Cartoons View All 1237 ImagesFilipenko, a popular novelist, became one of Lukashenko's most prominent critics. Others have been jailed, such as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, founder of the human rights group Viasna.

Persons: Sasha Filipenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Ales Bialiatski Locations: TALLINN, Estonia, Belarusian, Minsk

☆ Belarus leader: I urged mercenary Prigozhin to 'watch out'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman lights a candle in front of a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial in Moscow, Russia August 24. Prigozhin, Lukashenko said on Friday, had twice dismissed concerns raised by the Belarusian leader about possible threats to his life. Lukashenko said that during the mutiny he had warned Prigozhin that he would "die" if he continued to march on Moscow, to which he said Prigozhin had answered:"'To hell with it - I will die'." Lukashenko, both an old acquaintance of Prigozhin and close ally of Russia, said that Putin had nothing to do with the plane crash. Lukashenko said Wagner fighters would remain in Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Putin Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitry Utkin, Putin, Prigozhin's, It's, Wager, Guy Faulconbridge, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, Russian, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Belarus Kremlin, MOSCOW, Belarus, Belarusian

☆ Belarus opposition march in Warsaw on anniversary of contested election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko marched through the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of their unsuccessful attempt to unseat him in an election they say was rigged. Protests dragged on for months after Lukashenko claimed victory in the Aug. 9, 2020 presidential election. Western countries backed the protesters' demand for a peaceful transfer of power and slapped economic sanctions on Belarus. [1/5]People take part in Belarusians' march through Warsaw on the third anniversary of the 2020 presidential election which was followed by mass protests over alleged electoral fraud, in Warsaw, Poland, August 9, 2023. Exiled opponents of Lukashenko met in Warsaw on Sunday to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Sviatlana Mishurova, Kacper, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Kuba Stezycki, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: WARSAW, Warsaw, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Poland, Warsaw

And his fellow veterans of the Ukraine conflict are bound to play a role in the fight for their own country. With nearly all the opposition now in jail or exile, that is no small feat. Six weeks ago, there was a brief jolt of hope for the Belarus opposition, when Russia's Wagner mercenary group launched a mutiny inside Russia. But within hours, Lukashenko himself helped bring an end to the Russian mutiny, negotiating for Wagner fighters to move to Belarus. Exactly what role the Wagner fighters will play in Belarus is anyone's guess, but for the opposition, nothing good can come of it, said Kedyshko.

Persons: Pavel Maryeuski, Alexander Lukashenko's, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's, Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko, Stanislava Glinnik, Belarus's, Pavel Kuhta, Tsikhanouskaya's, Sergey Kedyshko, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Weeks, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Mike Collett, White, Peter Graff Organizations: WARSAW, Reuters, Coordination, United Operational, Lukashenko's Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Minsk, Soviet, Karma, Warsaw, Belarusian, Moscow

[1/5] Belarus' exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gives an opening speech during the New Belarus conference in Warsaw, Poland, August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba StezyckiWARSAW, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Exiled opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko met in Poland on Sunday, on the eve of the third anniversary of their unsuccessful post-election protests, to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports. Set up in August 2022 by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-declared government-in exile has opened more than 20 alternative embassies and information centres abroad. Speaking at a hotel in Warsaw to several hundred activists, including independent media and civic groups, Tsikhanouskaya urged opposition forces abroad to unite and support the creation of a "New Belarus" movement. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron first since 1994, using security forces to intimidate, beat and jail his foes or force them to flee abroad.

Persons: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Tsikhanouskaya, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: New, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, New Belarus, Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarusian

☆ Lukashenko taunts Poland again over Wagner troops near border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 23, 2023. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo License this content on Reuters ConnectAug 1 (Reuters) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near the NATO country's border, saying Warsaw should thank him for keeping them in check. State news agency Belta quoted him on Tuesday as saying that the Poles "should pray that we're holding onto (the Wagner fighters) and providing for them. Rzeszow is a city in southeast Poland near the Ukrainian border. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said a group of 100 Wagner fighters had moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border, describing the situation as "increasingly dangerous".

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Danichev, Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belta, Mateusz Morawiecki, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Reuters, Tuesday, NATO, Polish, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Poland, Warsaw, Belarus, Lukashenko, Rzeszow, State, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Grodno, Brest, Ukraine

☆ Analysis: Prigozhin's fate remains unclear and it signals more trouble in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The bizarre tale of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former pal-turned-mutineer, just got a whole lot weirder. His men had three choices: follow Prigozhin to Belarus, join the regular Russian military, or stop fighting and go home. He was a tough guy strutting about in camouflage, whose fighters could win battles in Ukraine that the regular Russian military couldn’t handle. Prigozhin’s ultimate fate is still unclear, but he is only one of Putin’s problems. And that portends more repression, more “settling scores,” and more fighting behind the scenes in Putin’s Russia.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, –, ”, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Putin, Vlad Karkov, “ Organizations: CNN, Putin’s, ” Locations: Russian, Belarusian, Russia, Belarus, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Prigozhin’s St, Petersburg, Ukraine, Rostov, Vesti

☆ Belarus' dictator says he told Prigozhin he was ready to send special forces to defend Moscow against the Wagner rebellion and hoped he wouldn't be offended
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Belarus' Lukashenko said he was ready to help defend Moscow from the Wagner Group's mutiny. The dictator told Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin he hoped he wouldn't be offended by the decision. A special forces brigade from Belarus' military was ready to deploy to Moscow immediately after Prigozhin and Wagner launched their short-lived mutiny against Russia's military leadership, Lukashenko told foreign and domestic reporters in Minsk. The dictator just hoped Prigozhin wouldn't mind that he was preparing to have his forces act against him. We will defend Moscow together with Putin," Lukashenko recalled, according to a translation of his remarks by state-run news agency BelTA.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny, Putin, BelTA, Russia's, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Privacy, Belarusian, Army, Sputnik, Kremlin, Institute for, Putin, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Rostov, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Kremlin, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine

☆ Belarusian dictator who negotiated the end of Prigozhin's mutiny says there's no way Putin is 'malicious and vindictive' enough to have him killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he doesn't think Putin will have Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. Putin is not "malicious or vindictive enough" to order the murder, said the close Putin ally. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that he doesn't think Vladimir Putin would be so "malicious and vindictive" as to have Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. But if you think that Putin is so malicious and vindictive that he will 'kill' Prigozhin tomorrow, no, this will not happen." The Russian leader has a long history of brutal and violent crackdowns on those he sees as disloyal.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, doesn't, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Sergei Skripal, Alexei Navalny, Putin's, Prigozhin, Progozhin, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, CNN Locations: Belarusian, Russian, Moscow, St . Petersburg

☆ Belarus' second-rate dictator Lukashenko is 'humiliating' Putin by bragging about how he saved Moscow from an armed Wagner revolt, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Belarusian President Lukashenko says he helped negotiate an end to the Wagner Group's armed mutiny. Hail-mary negotiations, mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, stopped the potential bloodshed in the capital. After Wagner fighters captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don early Saturday, they continued north toward Moscow as the city prepared its defenses for battle. By that point, Wagner fighters had already shot down several Russian military aircraft. Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) arrive to the Palace of Independence prior to their talks in Minsk, Belarus, on December 19, 2022.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, —, mary, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Lukashenko's, BelTA, It's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, doesn't, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Russian, Kremlin, Reuters, Institute for, NATO, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Moscow, Rostov, Belarus, Minsk, Russian, Voronezh, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania

☆ Wagner's chaotic attempt at armed rebellion is starting to (kind of) make sense
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wagner's aborted rebellion in Russia over the weekend was a chaotic mess that ultimately failed. That's the question anybody following the chaotic attempt by the Wagner mercenary group to stage a rebellion in Russia last weekend probably asked themselves. Prigozhin bailed on his plan, sent everyone home, and headed off to some kind of retirement in Belarus. The soldiers wouldn't need to look far for a motive: widespread hatred for defense minister Sergei Shoigu and army chief of staff Valery Gerasimov. Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov (L) and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in late 2022.

Persons: Wagner's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Associated Press Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Metzel, Sergei Surovikin —, Gerasimov —, Surovikin, Putin Organizations: Service, Prigozhin Press, Associated Press, The New York Times, Times, Russian, Staff, Russian Defence, Sputnik, The Times, Shoigu, Street Locations: Russia, Rostov, Moscow, Russian, Belarus, Ukraine

MOSCOW, June 28 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin not to "wipe out" mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in response to what the Kremlin cast as a mutiny that pushed Russia towards civil war. While describing his Saturday conversation with Putin, Lukashenko used the Russian criminal slang phrase for killing someone, equivalent to the English phrase to "wipe out". "I also understood: a brutal decision had been made (and it was the undertone of Putin's address) to wipe out" the mutineers, Lukashenko told a meeting of his army officials and journalists on Tuesday, according to Belarusian state media. Later Lukashenko told his military that "people fail to understand that we are approaching this in a pragmatic way ... Prigozhin halted what he called was "march of justice" on Moscow from the southern city of Rostov-on-Don within 200 kilometres of the capital after Lukashenko's intervention.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Prigozhin, Lukashenko, Sasha, Wagner, They've, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Nick Starkov, Andrew Osborn, Peter Graff Organizations: Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Russia, Belarus, Kremlin, Belarusian, Moscow, Rostov, Melbourne

☆ Analysis: Belarus leader, long the supplicant, feted in Russia after mutiny role
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. It was Lukashenko, according to his own narrative and Putin, who played a major role in ending a mutiny that threatened to destabilise the world's largest nuclear power. "Without Putin's support, the Lukashenko regime will not be able to survive," exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter. High-profile Russian state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov said Lukashenko deserved to be made a Hero of Russia and Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, on Tuesday lavished praise on the Belarusian leader. Independent Belarusian media outlet Zerkalo (the Mirror), which monitored Belarusian state TV coverage of Lukashenko's role, cited presenter Yevgeny Pustovoi as saying that Minsk was becoming "the peacemaker of Slavic civilisation".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, you'll, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Vladimir Solovyov, Russia, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Pustovoi, Zerkalo, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: Belarusian, Sputnik, REUTERS LONDON, Twitter, Russia's, Duma, NATO, Independent, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, defusing, Belarusian, Moscow, Soviet, Belarus, Independent Belarusian, Minsk

☆ Prigozhin tried to call Putin when he realized his rebellion had 'gone too far' but the Russian president ignored him: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin tried calling Vladimir Putin during the Wagner Group rebellion, a report says. According to sources near the Kremlin, Prigozhin then "tried to call Putin, but the president didn't want to speak with him." Meduza's sources told the outlet that Prigozhin likely realized that "he'd gone too far" and "prospects for his column to continue to advance were dim." His boasts that members of the Russian military were prepared to join his rebellion had not materialized. The Kremlin said Wagner fighters would be offered a chance to enrol in the Russian military, and charges against Prigozhin and Wagner rebels would not be pursued.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, —, Prigozhin's, Don Saturday, Putin, Prigozhin, didn't, he'd, Meduza, Viktor Lukashenko's Organizations: Wagner, Kremlin, Service, Wagner Group, Federal Security Service, West Locations: Russian, Rostov, Moscow, Ukraine, Africa

☆ How the 'masculine' talks that averted a siege on Moscow went down, according to Putin's negotiator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Thousands of Wagner fighters led by Prigozhin threatened to advance on Moscow Saturday. That's when Russian leader Vladimir Putin purportedly came calling. The number of swear words was ten times higher than that of normal words. Certainly, he said he was sorry for using swear words." Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Kremlin in Moscow on September 9, 2021.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Prigozhin, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, wasn't, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, SHAMIL ZHUMATOV, Prigozhin's Organizations: Moscow, Service, Privacy, Wagner Group, Belarusian, Kremlin, Getty, Lukashenko's Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Independence, Minsk, Russia, Belarusian, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov

☆ A former US ambassador to Russia says Putin is showing how weak he is by relying on Belarus' Lukashenko to help him resolve the Wagner uprising
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

John Sullivan told CBS that Putin's reliance on Belarus to solve his problems shows "actual weakness." Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko helped to resolve the Wagner Group's uprising on Saturday. "It's not just an appearance of weakness, it's actual weakness," Sullivan said. It's not just an appearance of weakness, it's actual weakness," Ambassador John J. Sullivan told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. As part of the deal, Prigozhin will go into exile in Belarus in exchange for not being prosecuted for the uprising.

Persons: John Sullivan, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Wagner, It's, Sullivan, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Lukashenko, what's, John J, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Mick Ryan, Insider's Katherine Tangalakis Organizations: CBS, Service, Wagner Group, Russian, New York Times, Associated Press, Putin Locations: Belarus, Russia, Prigozhin, Rostov, Russian, Moscow

☆ Lukashenko's mediation in Kremlin crisis stretches credibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nearly three years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin stood by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in his hour of need, backing Europe’s longest-running dictator as he faced a wave of street protests. Now Lukashenko appears to have come through for Putin, if we are to believe what the Kremlin and the Belarusian presidential press service tell us. A quick recap: A major crisis shook the foundations of the Russian state Saturday, as forces loyal to Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin marched toward Moscow. And the Kremlin and Belarusian account of Lukashenko’s mediation appear to stretch credibility. And it was his personal proposal, which was agreed with President Putin.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Europe’s, Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, –, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Grigoryevich, Putin, Peskov, “, what’s, Putin —, Russia —, Delegating Lukashenko, Prigozhin’s Organizations: CNN, Putin, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Moscow, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Belarusian, Africa

☆ Putin has been exposed as a 'lame duck,' experts say: 'I have the feeling he is not really running the country'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion is over but the damage to Vladimir Putin is irreversible, experts say. The Wagner boss showed that the Russian president no longer enjoys a monopoly of force in his country. Among Moscow's elites, "there is the growing feeling that he is a lame duck," a Russian journalist said. But there is the growing feeling that he is a lame duck, and they have to prepare for Russia after Putin." [...]Suggestions that Prigozhin's rebellion, the Kremlin's response, and Lukashenko's mediation were all staged by the Kremlin are absurd.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, —, Putin, Prigozhin, Mikhail Zygar, Zygar, Alexsandr Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Andrew Kolesnikov, Saturday's, Kolesnikov, Mick Ryan, Insider's Katherine Tangalakis, hasn't, Ryan Organizations: Service, Ministry of Defense, Institute for, Carnegie Endowment, Wall Street Journal, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Yorker, Belarus, Russia, Washington

☆ Belarus official: West left us no choice but to deploy nuclear arms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 28 (Reuters) - Western countries left Belarus no choice but to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons and had better take heed not to "cross red lines" on key strategic issues, a senior Belarusian official was quoted as saying on Sunday. Russia moved ahead last week with a decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory aimed at achieving specific gains on the battlefield. "The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is therefore one of the steps of strategic deterrence. He said any resort to using "even tactical nuclear weapons will lead to irreversible consequences." The United States has denounced the prospective deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus but says its stance on the use of such weapons has not been altered.

☆ Belarus president and Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko appears to confirm that 4 Russian military aircraft were shot down. The Kremlin has not yet acknowledged the downed aircraft.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that the four downed Russian aircraft were "shot down." According to Reuters, Lukashenko addressed Belarusian troops on Monday at the border with Ukraine. The Belarusian leader decisively claimed that the four aircraft were shot down — but did not say by whom. "Three days after the events near us — I mean in the Bryansk region, when four aircraft were shot down, we are forced to respond," Lukashenko said, according to Reuters. The crash signified the most Russian aircraft lost in a single day since March 2022, according to the pro-Russia Telegram channel Fighterbomber.

☆ Belarus opposition told to 'be ready' for democracy push as rumours of leader's ill health swirl
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, in Copenhagen, Denmark May 15, 2023. State TV later broadcast a clip of Lukashenko at what it said was a central air force command base. Dressed in a military uniform, Lukashenko appeared to have a bandage on his left hand and to be short of breath at times. "There are many rumours about the dictator Lukashenko's health," Tsikhanouskaya she tweeted to supporters. Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military intelligence agency, said in televised comments that Kyiv had information about Lukashenko's health, but said he would not comment for various reasons.

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