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☆ East Europe NATO allies say Wagner troops in Belarus spell trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Anthony Deutsch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It requires a very, very tough answer of NATO," Polish President Andrzej Duda added. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus on Tuesday under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko that ended the mercenaries' mutiny in Russia on Saturday. "We have sent a clear message to Moscow and Minsk that NATO is there to protect every ally, every inch of NATO territory," Stoltenberg said. Poland's Duda said he hoped the threat posed by Wagner forces would be on the agenda at a summit of all 31 NATO members in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 11-12. Reporting by Bart Meijer and Anthony Deutsch; editing by Jonathan Oatis and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Wagner, Gitanas Nauseda, Stoltenberg, Andrzej Duda, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Alexander De Croo, Mark Rutte, Klaus Iohannis, Jonas Gahr, Read, NATO's Stoltenberg, Poland's Duda, Bart Meijer, Anthony Deutsch, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: HAGUE, NATO, Albania's, Edi Rama, Dutch, Thomson Locations: Russian, Belarus, The Hague, Russia, Belgian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Moscow, Minsk, Ukraine, Vilnius, Lithuania

CNN —Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko claims he convinced Russian leader Vladimir Putin not to “destroy” the Wagner group and its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, talking up his role in halting the mercenaries’ military insurrection that caused crisis in Russia at the weekend. Let’s talk with Prigozhin, with his commanders.”Lukashenko – a longtime ally of the Russian President – said Putin told him: “Listen, Alex, it’s useless. There were 10 times more swear words (I later analyzed them) than normal vocabulary,” Lukashenko added, describing his interactions with a foul-mouthed Prigozhin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko was able to draw on a personal relationship with Prigozhin to reach the deal, which would also see Wagner troops and equipment absorbed by the Russian military. Lukashenko said Tuesday that Prigozhin has received his personal assurances of safety, and the safety of his men, in order to defuse the rebellion on Saturday evening.

Persons: Aleksandr Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, ” Lukashenko, Putin, ” Lukashenko –, –, Alex, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu –, “ Organizations: CNN, Federal Security Service Locations: Belarus, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Belarusian, Minsk

Flightradar24 showed an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet appeared in Rostov region at 0232 GMT and began a descent at 0420 GMT near Minsk. The identification codes of the aircraft match those of a jet linked by the United States to Autolex Transport which is linked to Prigozhin by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control. Under a deal mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday to halt a mutiny by Prigozhin's mercenary fighters, Prigozhin is meant to move to Belarus. Prigozhin, who has bragged about meddling in U.S. elections, said last week his fighting force was 25,000 strong. Speaking from the Kremlin on Monday, Putin vowed to stand by his promise to allow Wagner fighters to leave for Belarus, though he did not mention Prigozhin by name.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Flightradar24, Dmitry Peskov, Flightradar, Alexander Lukashenko, WAGNER'S, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Russia's, Gleb Stolaryov, Guy Faulconbridge, Angus MacSwan, Jon Boyle Organizations: Belarus Russia, Prigozhin, Embraer, U.S . Office, Foreign Assets Control, Kremlin, Central African Republic, Federal Security Service, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, Prigozhin MOSCOW, Prigozhin, Russian, Rostov, Minsk, United States, Belarusian, Africa, Central African, Mali, Ukraine, Kremlin

☆ Putin may have set a trap for Wagner fighters by letting them flee to Belarus, military experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wagner fighters may not be safe in Belarus as it could be a trap after their uprising, the ISW said. The ISW said in an update on Monday that "Putin may be presenting Belarus as a haven for Wagner fighters as a trap." And if the Kremlin pressures Belarus, it said, "Belarus will not offer Prigozhin or Wagner fighters a true haven." The Wagner Group's short-lived uprising, which humiliated Putin and provided what experts said was the biggest threat during his decades in power, came after months of feuding between the Wagner Group and Russia's military brass. Russian media outlet Verstka reported that Belarus is constructing a base for around 8,000 Wagner fighters 124 miles from its border with Ukraine.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin, ISW, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ian Bremmer, he's, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Service, Washington DC, Wagner Group, Eurasia Group, CNBC, Wagner, Kremlin, Guardian Locations: Belarus, Kremlin, Rostov, Moscow, Russian, Minsk, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Putin says Russia would have crushed rebellion, vows 'justice' for mutiny organizers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin grimaces during his joint press conference with Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune (not pictured) at the Grand Kremlin Palace, June,15,2023, in Moscow, Russia. WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday the organizers of an armed mutiny over the weekend will be "brought to justice" and that his military would have put down the rebellion anyway. In exchange for his turning back, a criminal case against Prigozhin was dropped and he was permitted to leave Russia for Belarus. On Monday, Putin said any "armed rebellion would have been put down anyway." Prigozhin has said his goal was never to seize political control of the Kremlin and overthrow Putin, but rather to protest a planned dissolution of his Wagner Group, his private army.

Persons: Vladimir Putin grimaces, Abdelmajid Tebboune, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Prigozhin, Sen, Mark Warner Organizations: Algerian, WASHINGTON —, Wagner Group, Senate Intelligence Locations: Moscow, Russia, WASHINGTON, WASHINGTON — Russian, Russian, Belarus, Minsk, Rostov

☆ Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images Putin judges an arm wrestling match while visiting the Seliger youth educational forum in Russia's Tver region in August 2011. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Prigozhin, ” Peskov, Putin, Putin Putin, Joseph Stalin, –, “ Putin, Evelyn Farkas, ’, Vladimir Putin, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Pavel Bednyakov, Peter Zwack, Beth Sanner, ” Sanner, “ He’s, … Putin, Moscow’s, Priogozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Communist, McCain, Putin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, Russia’s Southern Military District, US Army, National Intelligence for Mission, State Department, European Union Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kremlin, Russia’s Belgorod, Putin Russian, Russian, Rostov, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, –, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Soviet, Kazakhstan

☆ Putin: Bizarre and chaotic 36 hours in Russia feels like the beginning of the end for Kremlin leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

These were 36 hours that provided a glimpse of the end of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Two hours earlier, Wagner were at the gates of the capital (almost), and then suddenly everything is forgiven. Did he accept entering the capital would leave his men vulnerable, even to a weak Russian military response? While on the surface, Prigozhin’s climbdown makes him appear weak, even finished, he has been the decision-maker over the past 36 hours. The most optimistic assessment you could make is that Russian military morale must have felt a hiccup while watching its commander-in-chief and most prominent military figure engage in a 24-hour game of chicken.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Peskov, Wagner, climbdown, he’s, didn’t, Putin’s, – Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Justice, NATO, NATO – Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Minsk, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia, Russian

☆ Putin Turned to Belarus Leader Lukashenko to Broker Truce Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The deal brokered by Alexander Lukashenko to halt an armed rebellion in Russia wasn’t the first time the Belarusian leader has cast himself as a peace maker on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Saturday, Lukashenko helped defuse a crisis as forces from the Wagner paramilitary group moved toward Moscow. “The two presidents really agreed that President Lukashenko would mediate efforts to resolve the situation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a press call late Saturday evening, noting that Putin “thanked his Belarusian counterpart for the work done.”Relations between the two leaders stretch back years. In 2014 and 2015, Lukashenko allowed the Belarusian capital, Minsk, to host a series of international talks which sought to end the war in Ukraine’s Donbas region that was being fought between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army. The agreements, which would become known as the Minsk accords, subsequently went nowhere, because Kyiv believed that they could give Moscow too much say in Ukraine’s future.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, Wagner, Dmitry Peskov, Putin “ Organizations: Russia wasn’t Locations: Russia, Moscow, Minsk, Ukraine’s Donbas, Russian, Ukrainian

The deployment is Moscow's first move of such warheads - shorter-range less powerful nuclear weapons that could potentially be used on the battlefield - outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start deploying them in Belarus after special storage facilities to house them were made ready. The Russian leader announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the U.S deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. Earlier on Tuesday, he had said separately that the Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus "in several days" and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. No one has so far fought against a nuclear country, a country that has nuclear weapons."

Persons: Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, didn't, Lidia Kelly, Andrew Osborn, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: United, Press Service, REUTERS, WE, NATO, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Russia, Soviet Union, Belarusian, Russian, Belarus, United States, China, Ukraine, Minsk Region, Republic of Belarus, Handout, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Soviet, Melbourne, London

☆ Belarus to get Russian tactical nuclear weapons 'in days' - Lukashenko
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Belarus to host Russian nuclear arms within days - leaderRussia will retain control of the warheadsDeployment is earlier than Moscow has indicatedBelarus has sites to host longer-range missiles - leaderLONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus "in several days" and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start deploying them in close ally Belarus after special storage facilities to house them were made ready on July 7-8. Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally, was cited by Belta as saying that Belarus was now ready to host the warheads. Putin announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the U.S deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. That's why this (tactical nuclear weapons) are enough for me for now."

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, Putin, Belta, Volodymr Zelenskiy, Andrew Osborn, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge, Nick Macfie Organizations: LONDON, Soviet Union, United, America, NATO, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Soviet, United States, China, Ukraine, Minsk, U.S

[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. Putin announced in March he had agreed to deploy such weapons in Belarus, pointing to U.S deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. It is still unclear where the Russian nuclear warheads - which will remain under Russian control - will be kept in Belarus. RANGEPutin, who is the ultimate decision maker on any nuclear launch, said Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missiles, which can deliver nuclear warheads, had already been handed over to Belarus. Putin has repeatedly raised the issue of U.S. B61 tactical nuclear warheads deployed at bases in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Putin, Moscow's, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Su, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Osborn, Frances Kerry Organizations: Belarusian, Sputnik, NATO, United, Sukhoi, B61, Cuban Missile Crisis, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, Belarus, Europe, Putin MOSCOW, Soviet Union, Russian, Black, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, China, Washington, Minsk, Berlin, Stockholm, Soviet, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Nevada

☆ Russian oil supplies to EU via southern Druzhba to rise 16% in June - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline supplies Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The EU imposed an embargo on Russian oil purchases via maritime routes from December. Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Repubic were, however, allowed to continue Russian oil imports as critical feedstock. Oil supplies via a section of the southern Druzhba pipeline were temporarily suspended in November following shelling on a power station which provides electricity for a pump station. The Druzhba pipeline crosses Belarus and Ukraine and remains an income source for both countries which receive transit fees.

Persons: Unipetrol, Poland's PKN, uninterruptedly, PKN Orlen, Emelia Sithole Organizations: European Union, EU, MOL, Reuters, Minsk, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russian, Europe, Russia, Moscow, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Druzhba, Czech, Belarus, Kiev, Adria, Ukrainian

☆ Belarus's Lukashenko says there can be 'nuclear weapons for everyone'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 29 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that if any other country wanted to join a Russia-Belarus union there could be "nuclear weapons for everyone." Russia moved ahead last week with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, in the Kremlin's first deployment of such warheads outside Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, spurring concerns in the West. "If someone is worried ... (then) it is very simple: join in the Union State of Belarus and Russia. That's all: there will be nuclear weapons for everyone." Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two former Soviet republics.

☆ Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offers nuclear weapons to nations willing 'to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Mariya Knight Uliana Pavlova Helen Regan | Mariya Knight | Uliana Pavlova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that nations who are willing “to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus” will be given nuclear weapons, days after confirming the transfer of some tactical nuclear weapons from Moscow to Minsk had begun. “Join the Union State of Belarus and Russia. It was not clear how wide Lukashenko’s invitation to join the Union State extended, and he offered no other specifics. Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller than strategic nuclear weapons – which can decimate entire cities – and are designed for use in a limited battlefield. Strong condemnationsThe United States and the European Union, as well as opposition leaders in Belarus, have denounced the move to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

☆ Belarusian blogger arrested on Ryanair flight pardoned - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, May 22 (Reuters) - Roman Protasevich, the Belarusian opposition blogger arrested in 2021 after his Ryanair overflight was forced to land in Minsk, was pardoned on Monday, the Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported. "I have literally just signed all the relevant documents stating that I have been pardoned," BelTA quoted Protasevich as telling reporters. Protasevich had been sentenced to eight years in prison this month for offences including inciting terrorism, organising mass disturbances and slandering Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. A clampdown around the time of the election resulted in all significant opposition figures being jailed or driven into exile. After his arrest, Protasevich was shown on state television tearfully confessing to involvement in anti-government protests and plotting to topple Lukashenko.

☆ Belarus state media publish photo of Lukashenko following health speculation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 15 (Reuters) - A Belarusian state news channel on Monday published a photo of President Alexander Lukashenko at what it said was a military command centre in what would be his first public appearance in almost a week, following speculation over the health of the 68-year-old leader. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 6, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERSThe Pul Pervovo Telegram channel, a state outlet that reports on Lukashenko's activities, said the president was working at a central air force command base. Lukashenko was last seen in public on May 9 at Victory Day events in both Moscow and the Belarusian capital Minsk. His failure to appear in public since then had prompted reports, not confirmed officially, that he had been taken to a medical facility.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: France, Germany step up military aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

France said it will send dozens of armoured vehicles and light tanks, including the AMX-10RCs fighting vehicles, to Ukraine in the coming weeks. During the past 24 hours, Russian forces launched air strikes, along with missile, drone and heavy rocket attacks, on targets in Ukraine, it said. The Ukrainian air force also counted 17 striks on areas where Russian personnel and military equipment were concentrated. * A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European cities on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the Ukraine crisis. Li Hui, China's special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, Germany on the multi-day trip.

☆ Belarus PM replaces Lukashenko at ceremony, sparks speculation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lukashenko also did not speak at an event in Minsk marking the anniversary for the first time in his long presidency. According to the opposition news outlet Euroradio, Lukashenko was taken to an elite Minsk clinic on Saturday. Russian media rarely publish stories about the health of the leaders of Russia or its allied neighbours. Belarus' foreign minister Sergei Aleinik is expected on Monday to start this three-day visit to Moscow, Russia's foreign ministry said last week. Reporting by Ron Popeski and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ Belarus leader Lukashenko avoids stroll, skips lunch after Moscow parade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lukashenko, a close Putin ally, looked tired and a little unsteady on his feet, and a bandage was visible on his right hand. His appearance sparked speculation online about his health, though he otherwise showed no obvious sign of being unwell. In a rare departure from custom, the Belarusian president then missed the state lunch hosted by Putin in the Kremlin and attended by the other leaders. Lukashenko later on Tuesday resurfaced for the Victory Day wreath-laying ceremony in Minsk but in another departure from tradition he wore civilian clothes - not a military uniform - and made no speech. At Tuesday's Victory Day parade Putin said Russia was engaged in a "sacred" fight with the West over Ukraine.

☆ Journalist on Ryanair plane diverted by Belarus is jailed for eight years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Caleb Davis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO:Opposition blogger and activist Roman Protasevich, who is accused of participating in an unsanctioned protest at the Kuropaty preserve, arrives for a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus April 10, 2017. The circumstances of Protasevich's arrest in May 2021 prompted international outrage and triggered European Union sanctions against Lukashenko. After his arrest, Protasevich was shown on state television tearfully confessing on state television to involvement in anti-government protests and plotting to topple Lukashenko. The exiled Belarus opposition said the admissions were false and had been coerced. Video from state media showed him declining to answer questions from journalists in court about whether he would appeal.

☆ Belarus units complete training on Russian tactical nuclear missile systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 22 (Reuters) - Units from Belarus returned home from Russia on Saturday after training on how to use the Iskander tactical missile system to launch nuclear weapons, the Belarusian defence ministry said. It made the announcement exactly four weeks after President Vladimir Putin said Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus, sending a warning to NATO over its military support for Ukraine. In early February, Belarus said its armed forces were in autonomous control of Iskander mobile guided missile systems that Russia had already provided. Those units returned to Belarus on Saturday, the defence ministry said on Telegram. Russia has not given a clear timetable for moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, but Putin said the construction of storage facilities should be complete by the start of July.

☆ The father of a Russian girl who drew anti-war pictures fled house arrest. The Kremlin tracked him down in Belarus after he turned on his cellphone.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian man was charged for "discrediting" the army after his daughter drew anti-war art at school. Shortly before his sentencing last month, Alexei Moskalyov fled house arrest and disappeared. "Alexei Moskalyov was extradited from Belarus to Russia," his lawyer in Belarus said, according to AP. Shortly after, he was convicted of "discrediting" the Russian military, handed a two-year prison term, and placed on house arrest. But hours before a court was meant to hand down the two-year sentence, Moskalyov unexpectedly fled house arrest and went off the grid.

☆ One of Russia's few remaining allies asked Moscow for guarantees that it would defend his country if it was attacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko asked Russia to defend it if attacked, state media reported. The embattled leader asked Russia to protect his country "as its own territory." Lukashenko met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Minsk on Monday, according to Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta. In the meeting, Lukashenko requested that "in case of aggression against Belarus the Russian Federation protects Belarus as its own territory," the outlet reporting him as saying. Belarus has avoided committing troops to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but has aided it by training Russian troops and allowing Russian use of its military bases.

☆ Belarus leader says he wants guarantees that Russia will defend his country if it is attacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, April 10 (Reuters) - Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, told Russia's defence minister on Monday that he wanted guarantees that Moscow would defend his country if it was attacked, the state-owned BelTA news agency reported. BelTA cited Lukashenko as making the remarks to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk. "In general, it sounded at the talks (with Putin) that in the case of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation would protect Belarus as its own territory. These are the kind of security (guarantees) we need," Lukashenko was quoted as saying. Belarus, which currently hosts a contingent of Russian forces, has offered assistance to Moscow during its military campaign in Ukraine which Russia calls "a special military operation."

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