Moscow: Minsk said Tuesday that a contingent of Belarusian troops deploying alongside Russian forces was a “purely defensive” grouping whose aim was to defend the borders of the ex-Soviet republic closely aligned with Russia. “We emphasise once again that the tasks of the Regional Grouping of Forces are purely defensive. And all activities carried out […]
Belarus
EU warns Belarus opening door to Russian nukes after vote
Brussels: The EU warned Monday that Belarus could start hosting Russian nuclear weapons after a “very dangerous” decision at a referendum to drop the country’s non-nuclear status. “We know what does it mean for Belarus to be nuclear. It means that Russia will put nuclear weapons in Belarus and this is a very dangerous path,” […]
‘Nobody is safe’ in Belarus, says independent media heiress behind Tut.by
TEL AVIV: The heiress to Belarus’ largest independent news outlet, Evgeniya Chernyavskaya, says her country’s widening crackdown on media and opposition has imperiled freedom of speech and threatened lives. “Nobody is safe now in Belarus especially journalists,” says the heiress to Tut.by, the news outlet whose survival is now fragile, after members of its team […]
RSF says journalists in Belarus face ‘disastrous’ situation
VILNIUS: Belarusian journalists are facing a disastrous situation, the head of Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) said on Thursday during a visit to neighbouring Lithuania. “We came here because we want to send a signal that we support the journalists in Belarus,” Christophe Deloire said after speaking to Lithuanian prosecutors who have launched an investigation into […]
Germany, Netherlands pull out of cycling championships in Belarus
The German and Dutch cycling federations said Wednesday they had pulled out of the European track championships scheduled for Minsk in June over Belarus’s diversion of a passenger plane and arrest of a dissident on board. “After the events of last weekend, we have made contact with the European Cycling Union (UEC) and made clear […]
EU Announces Sanctions on Belarus after ‘Ryanair Hijacking’, Kidnapping of Journalist
The European Union has announced sanctions on Belarus after the Belarusian government used a fake bomb threat to “hijack” a plane and arrest a journalist, Roman Protasevich, earlier this week. On Sunday, Belarus had scrambled a fighter jet to intercept a Ryanair flight after falsely reporting a bomb threat in order to make the arrest. […]
‘You have a bomb onboard’: Belarus told Ryanair pilot
Belarus air traffic control told a Vilnius-bound Ryanair flight that a bomb was on board and suggested it divert to Minsk, according to a transcript released by the transport ministry Tuesday. The forced grounding of the European passenger flight Sunday sparked a global outcry with EU-based carriers cutting air links with Belarus and European leaders […]
After spending winter in a fridge, Minsk bats return to the wild
After spending the winter months hibernating inside a fridge at a rescue centre in Belarus, a group of bats awaken and are released into the wild. To ensure a good winter’s sleep, each bat was tucked up inside a cloth bag by volunteers at the centre, then hung up inside an ordinary domestic fridge — […]