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☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia and Belarus avoid mention of Ukraine war after talks; Bakhmut the 'hottest' hot spot right now
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mention of the war in Ukraine was conspicuously absent from a press conference held by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin after their talks Monday. Mention of the war in Ukraine was conspicuously absent from a press conference held by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin after their talks Monday. Belarus saw mass protests in 2020 after an election that many observers believe was rigged to keep long-term leader Lukashenko in power. Following months of increased joint military exercises and meetings, concerns have grown that Belarus could enter the Ukraine war to assist Russia (it has already allowed Moscow to launch attacks from its territory). On Monday, Lukashenko said nothing would be able to "break our relationship" with Russia but did not mention the possibility of Belarus assisting Russia in the war in Ukraine.

To Russian security agencies operating in Ukraine, he said late on Monday in comments translated by Reuters: "Yes, it is difficult for you now. The situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is extremely difficult." Both Putin and Lukashenko were also at pains to dismiss the idea of Russia annexing or absorbing Belarus. Russian troops that moved to Belarus in October will conduct battalion tactical exercises, Russia's Interfax news agency reported, citing the defence ministry. It also said Ukrainian air and artillery forces carried out more than a dozen strikes on Russian troops and hardware, including ammunition dumps, and shot down two helicopters.

☆ Putin heads for Belarus as Russian drones target Ukrainian capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin heads for Belarus on Monday, fueling Ukrainian fears he intends to pressure his ally to join a new offensive, as Russian drones attacked Kyiv in the latest assault targeting key infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said. “Protecting our border, both with Russia and Belarus — is our constant priority,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a meeting on Sunday of Ukraine’s top military command. But Ukrainian officials have warned for months that Belarus could again serve as a base for a ground attack on Kyiv. Russian troops that moved to Belarus in October will conduct battalion tactical exercises, the Russian Interfax news agency reported, citing the Russian defense ministry. It was not immediately clear when and where in Belarus the latest in a flurry of recent exercises will start.

☆ Putin heads for Belarus amid fears of new assault on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KYIV, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin flies to Belarus on Monday amid fear in Kyiv that he intends to pressure the former Soviet ally to join a new ground offensive against Ukraine and reopen a new front. There has been constant Russian and Belarusian military activity for months in Belarus, a close Kremlin ally that Moscow's troops used as a launch pad for their abortive attack on Kyiv in February. Moscow and Minsk have since set up a joint regional unit of forces in Belarus and held numerous military exercises. Three Russian warplanes and an airborne early warning and control aircraft were deployed to Belarus last week. Lukashenko said he and Putin will hold talks on a long-running effort to integrate their countries into a supranational union State.

☆ Putin lands in Belarus for talks amid fears of new assault on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin walks after disembarking from a plane upon his arrival at the National Airport Minsk in Minsk, Belarus December 19, 2022. Russian forces used Belarus as a launch pad for their abortive attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in February, and there has been Russian and Belarusian military activity there for months. Adding to the ominous mood music, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, one of the few officials in Lukashenko's government with any rapport with the West, died suddenly last month. His successor, Sergei Aleinik, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday. The talks are seen by the Belarus opposition as a vehicle for a creeping Russian annexation.

☆ Head of Ukraine's military says he has 'no doubt' the Russians 'will have another go at Kyiv' as Putin adds more troops to his army
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, head of Ukraine's armed forces, said Russia wants to regroup for a new offensive. "The Russians are preparing some 200,000 fresh troops," General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, head of Ukraine's armed forces, told The Economist, referencing recent Russian mobilization efforts. Russian attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, in many ways, come from a position of weakness. The Kremlin had prepared for no more than three months of war, Zaluzhnyi said. What the country's armed forces need now is a chance to regroup, possibly under the guise of peace.

☆ Ukrainian forces are bracing for the possibility of another Russian invasion via Belarus: 'We have to be ready'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is preparing for the possibility of another Russian invasion via Belarus amid military drills. Analysts are skeptical that the exercises are cover for an attack or that Belarus would send its troops to join the war. Belarus has already been used as a launching pad for Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and has faced sanctions from Western countries as a result. There's also been some speculation that Belarus might send its troops into Ukraine to bolster Russia's war effort, but analysts are skeptical the drills are more than exercises. "The exercise does not appear to be cover for concentrating Belarusian and/or Russian forces near jumping-off positions for an invasion of Ukraine," ISW added.

☆ Nobel Peace Prize winners blast Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

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. “This would not be peace, but occupation.”Matviichuk repeated her earlier call for Putin — and Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who provided his country’s territory for Russian troops to invade Ukraine — to face an international tribunal. Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk delivers a speech during the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony. Sergei Gapon / AFP via Getty ImagesMatviichuk was named a co-winner of the 2022 peace prize in October along with Russian human rights group Memorial and Ales Bialiatski, head of the Belarusian rights group Viasna. “I know exactly what kind of Ukraine would suit Russia and Putin — a dependent dictatorship,” he said.

☆ Yan Rachinsky: Russian Nobel Peace laureate slams Putin's war on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yan Rachinsky blasted President Vladimir Putin’s “insane and criminal” war on Ukraine in his acceptance speech in the Norwegian capital Oslo on Saturday. Representatives of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureates collect the awards at Oslo City Hall, from left: Natalia Pinchuk, the wife of Ales Bialiatski, Yan Rachinsky, chairman of the International Memorial Board and Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties. Markus Schreiber/APUkrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk called for an international tribunal to Putin and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to justice over “war crimes” in her acceptance speech. Human rights groups from Russia and Ukraine – Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties – were officially awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 on Saturday, along with the jailed Belarusian advocate Ales Bialiatski. The new laureates were honored for “an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power” in their respective countries.

SummarySummary Companies Ukraine, Russia, Belarus rights campaigners won awardPrize highlight importance of civil society for peaceByalyatski in jail, wife speaks for him at ceremonyOSLO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Russia wants to turn Ukraine into a "dependent dictatorship" like Belarus, the wife of jailed Belarusian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski said on Saturday upon receiving the prize on his behalf, speaking his words. "It highlights the dramatic situation and struggle for human rights in the country," she said, adding she was speaking her husband's words. Pinchuk has met her husband once since he was named a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in prison, behind a glass wall, she told a news conference on Friday. "I know exactly what kind of Ukraine would suit Russia and Putin — a dependent dictatorship. Belarus and Russia are formally part of a "union state" and are closely allied economically and militarily.

☆ Russian troops take part in tactical drills in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday its troops were taking part in tactical exercises in Belarus, amid fears that Moscow is pressing its ally to get more involved in the Ukraine war. Belarus has said it will not enter the war in Ukraine, but President Alexander Lukashenko has in the past ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, citing threats from Kyiv and the West. In a statement, Russia's defence ministry said, "Servicemen of the Western Military District ... continue intensive combat training on the ranges of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus." It added, "Combat training events are held during both daylight and at night. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what he called a "special military operation", triggering the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.

☆ Factbox: Flurry of military activity in Belarus stirs concern in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KYIV, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Constant Belarusian and Russian military activity in Belarus has stirred concerns that a new attack on neighbouring Ukraine could be possible in the coming months. Some 70% of them had been checked by Dec. 1, the Belarusian defence ministry said. The Belarus Defence Ministry announced the start of a large-scale "rotation of army units" on its border with Ukraine on Oct. 17. A group of Russian generals arrived in Belarus on Dec. 1 to conduct an inspection of Russian military units, according to opposition Telegram channel Gajun. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu travelled to Belarus on Saturday and held talks with Lukashenko and the Belarusian defence minister.

Russia launched what it calls its "special military operation" in February, saying Ukraine's deepening ties with the West posed a security threat. MOBILISATIONAround 150,000 of the 300,000 reservists called up in September and October were deployed in Ukraine, 77,000 in combat units, he said. [1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video link in Moscow, Russia December 6, 2022. President Alexander Lukashenko, who relied on Russian troops to put down a popular revolt two years ago, has so far kept his own army from joining the war in Ukraine. Thousands of Russian troops have deployed in Belarus since October, Ukraine says, and Belarus authorities have increasingly spoken of a threat of "terrorism" from partisans operating from across the border.

☆ Belarus moves soldiers and gear amid Ukrainian fears of attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"During this period, it is planned to move military equipment and personnel of the national security forces," the state news agency BelTA cited Belarus' Security Council as saying. Russia used Belarus as a staging post for its failed advance on Kyiv, starting on Feb. 24. In October, Lukashenko announced a fresh Russian deployment of 9,000 troops to Belarus as part of a new joint military grouping. In its preliminary budget for 2023, Belarus plans to increase defence spending by over 50%. Ukraine has been warning for months that it fears that Belarus and Russia could be planning a new incursion across its northern border.

☆ Russia, Belarus defence ministers hold talks in Minsk, state media report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 3 (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin, the state-run Belta news agency said on Saturday. The two sides discussed bilateral military cooperation and amended an agreement on the "joint provision of regional security", it said, without providing further detail. Russia and Belarus are formally part of a "union state" and are closely allied economically and militarily, with Moscow using Belarus as a staging post for its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Belarus has said it will not enter the war in Ukraine, but President Alexander Lukashenko has in the past ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, citing threats to Belarus from Kyiv and the West. Reporting by ReutersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jailed Belarusian protest leader out of intensive care - ally
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Jailed Belarusian protest leader Maria Kolesnikova has been moved from intensive care to a different ward and her condition is improving, her political allies said on Thursday. The diagnosis of the outspoken critic of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has still not been disclosed by the hospital where she underwent surgery on Monday, opposition politician Viktor Babariko's Telegram account said. Her father was told at the hospital that she had been able to eat, the Telegram account said. Her allies have said she may have a perforated ulcer according to unconfirmed information. Writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ - Have patience, Russia sanctions will work, Lithuania PM says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Poland and other Western states have said the missile was a Ukrainian air defence missile that went astray in pursuit of a Russian missile. "The better air defence system Ukraine has, the less probability of incidents like that might happen... It is important not only for NATO to provide a decent (air) defence system, but also provide Ukraine with a decent (air) defence system," she said. Since the invasion, NATO has named Russia a persistant threat, nearby Sweden and Finland have applied to join the alliance and the NATO presence in the Baltics has increased. The Belarus military did not take part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Russian troops used Belarus territory for their offensive.

☆ Jailed Belarus protest leader in intensive care after operation - sister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KYIV, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Jailed Belarusian protest leader Maria Kolesnikova was in a stable but serious condition in the intensive care ward of a hospital on Tuesday after undergoing surgery, her sister and opposition politician Viktor Babariko's Telegram account said. The jailed Babariko's Telegram channel said Kolesnikova, an outspoken critic of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, had been taken to a hospital in the southeastern city of Gomel on Monday. In an interview with Russian independent TV station Dozhd (TV Rain), which broadcasts from Latvia, the protest leader's sister, Tatsiana Khomich, said Kolesnikova had undergone surgery on Monday after a time in a punishment cell. Nothing was known about the reason for the surgery, and Kolesnkova had not complained about her health, Khomich said. Babariko's telegram channel said Kolesnikova was set to be moved out of the intensive care unit to a surgery ward on Wednesday.

☆ Belarus officials say Vladimir Makei, long-time foreign minister, has died suddenly
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Belarus’ long-standing foreign minister has died suddenly, the country’s foreign ministry said Saturday, two days before he was meant to meet his Russian counterpart. "The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei has passed away," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus said in a tweet. Before the presidential elections and mass anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020, Makei had been one of the initiators of efforts to improve Belarus’ relations with the West and had criticized Russia. “We are shocked by the reports of the death of the Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted in her Telegram channel. “In 2020, Makei betrayed the Belarusian people and supported tyranny.

[1/2] European Council President Charles Michel speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Chinese President Xi Jinping via video conference during an EU-China summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium April 1, 2022. Olivier Matthys/Pool via REUTERSBEIJING/BRUSSELS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Chinese authorities behind a major trade expo in Shanghai pulled an opening ceremony address by the European Council president that was set to criticise Russia's "illegal war" in Ukraine and call for reduced trade dependency on China, diplomats said. "President Michel was invited to address 5th Hongqiao Forum/CIIE in Shanghai," Barend Leyts, a spokesman for Michel told Reuters. Europe has been over-dependent on Russia for fossil fuels, leading to a trade imbalance, Michel was to say. Michel was also set to call for China to do more do put an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine.

☆ Russia says seized Ukrainian lands are under its nuclear protection
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Russia said on Tuesday that four Ukrainian regions whose annexation it proclaimed last month are under the protection of its nuclear arsenal. The statement from the Kremlin came at a moment of acute tension, with both NATO and Russia expected to hold military exercises shortly to test the readiness of their nuclear weapons forces. NATO is conducting nuclear preparedness exercises this week and has said it expects Russia to hold its own nuclear drills imminently, but Peskov said he had no information on that. Putin last month proclaimed that the territories Moscow was taking from Ukraine would be part of Russia “for ever”. Russia has lost ground in the four regions even since it claimed control over them in a lavish Kremlin ceremony on Sept. 30.

☆ 'We want respect': Putin's authority tested in Central Asia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Olzhas Auyezov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We want respect. Respect," said Emomali Rakhmon, Tajikistan's president since 1994, complaining that Moscow's attitude had not improved since the Soviet era. The conflict prompted Japarov to skip an informal meeting of ex-Soviet leaders in Moscow on Putin's birthday, Oct. 7. Kazakh state television showed a selection of street interviews in which respondents said the war in Ukraine cast doubt on whether any post-Soviet unity still existed. Its report also highlighted what it called provocative behaviour by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, widely regarded as Putin's proxy, who interrupted one of Tokayev's speeches.

☆ World Bank cites overdue payments, puts loans to Belarus in 'nonperforming' status
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Monday it had placed all loans made by its main lending arm to Belarus into "nonperforming" status effective immediately, citing overdue payments amounting to $68.43 million. All International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loans to, or guaranteed by, Belarus were affected, the bank said. The bank stopped all programs in Belarus on March 2, and has not approved new lending to the country since May 2020. It said Belarus' outstanding principal of $967 million amounted to 0.42% of IBRD’s total outstanding loans. Being placed in nonperforming status results in a charge to income of about $12.75 million, it said.

☆ Belarus says it will host just under 9,000 Russian troops
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in UkraineMOSCOW, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The defence ministry in Minsk on Sunday said just under 9,000 Russian troops would be stationed in Belarus as part of a "regional grouping" of forces to protect its borders. "The first troop trains with Russian servicemen who are part of the (regional grouping) began to arrive in Belarus," Valeriy Revenko, head of the defence ministry's international military cooperation department, wrote on Twitter. "The total number will be a little less than 9,000 people." Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said last week that his troops would deploy with Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, citing what he said were threats from Ukraine and the West. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Reuters; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has a warning for the West: Do not push Russian President Vladimir Putin into a corner. Russia has nuclear weapons for a reason and crossing Putin’s “red lines” in Ukraine would be a mistake, the strongman and close Kremlin ally said in an exclusive interview Friday. And you don’t need nuclear weapons. Russia will cope without them.”The Kremlin has stoked growing nuclear fears as its military retreats on the battlefield and disquiet grows at home. “If nuclear weapons are used even by one country, it will cause a chain reaction.

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