Keywords: Belarus


EU bans all crypto transactions with Russian and Belarusian providers

The European Union has adopted a sweeping ban on cryptocurrency transactions involving service providers based in Russia and Belarus, marking a major escalation in its sanctions regime. The measures form part of the bloc’s 20th sanctions package targeting Moscow and its allies, shifting from selective......

Ukrainian hackers expose Belarusian role in Russian drone war

A covert Ukrainian cyber operation has revealed how Russia has been using civilian infrastructure in Belarus to extend the reach and precision of its drone attacks on Ukraine and to probe potential routes over NATO territory. Over several months beginning in mid‑2025, specialists from the Fenix Cyber......

Lithuania declares state of emergency over smuggling balloons from Belarus

Lithuania declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in response to repeated incursions of weather balloons from Belarus that officials say are being used to smuggle contraband cigarettes, marking an escalation in tensions between the Baltic nation and its authoritarian neighbor. The Lithuanian government......

Belarusian opposition figure Mikola Statkevich imprisoned again after September release, says Wife

Belarusian opposition leader Mikola Statkevich, who was unexpectedly released in September, has been returned to prison to complete his sentence after refusing to leave the country, according to his wife. She had not received any information about him for more than two months. Statkevich, 69, a longtime......

Lithuania rejects Belarus’ conditions for border talks

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys has dismissed the idea of holding border negotiations on Belarus’ terms after President Alexander Lukashenko instructed his government to reach out to Vilnius. “It is not Lukashenko who decides the conditions or determines......

Zelensky warns of Russian plans to deploy advanced Oreshnik missiles in Belarus

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that Russia possesses six additional intermediate-range Oreshnik missiles capable of striking targets up to 5,000 kilometers away. Speaking in Kyiv on October 31, Zelensky warned that Moscow plans to deploy these weapons in Belarus within weeks, posing......

Lithuania closes its border with Belarus after smuggling balloon incursions

Vilnius (AFP) – Lithuania announced on Wednesday that it would close its border with Belarus for one month, citing the repeated intrusion of smuggling balloons carrying contraband cigarettes from Belarusian territory. The Lithuanian government described the move as a necessary......

Moscow urges Poland to reopen border with Belarus

Russia has urged Poland to reconsider its decision to close the border with Belarus, a move announced earlier this week by Warsaw in response to upcoming joint Russian-Belarusian military drills. In a statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called on the Polish government to......

Lukashenko's backchannel diplomacy: The Belarusian leader's role in U.S.-Russia talks

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has emerged as a controversial intermediary in backchannel negotiations between Russia and the United States, offering to facilitate peace talks amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. While positioning himself as a "Putin whisperer," Lukashenko has sought......