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Belarus

Belarus
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Belarus. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Capital
Minsk
Head of State
President Alexander Lukashenko
Head of Government
Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko
last updated:
29 November, 2024
Cargo containers on freight train in Minsk, Belarus. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Japan

Japanese ‘trainspotters’ detained in Belarus for spying spark tensions

One expert believes the arrests highlight Belarus’s paranoia near its border with Ukraine.

Trending in China

Chinese man finds love with tall Belarusian woman after many failed blind dates

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Russia

Ukraine strikes Russia with Western missiles as Putin updates nuclear doctrine

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Ukraine war

Putin changes Russia’s nuclear doctrine in warning over strikes from Ukraine

Moscow will now consider any assault by a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack and could hit back with nukes.

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Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems on display in Moscow’s Red Square. File photo: Reuters
Japan

Japanese man accused of spying on military sites, Chinese projects in Belarus

The man was held in the city of Gomel and had displayed interest in the ‘broadest spheres of interest’ in the country

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why Belarus sees China, not West, as answer to balancing Russia ties

Alexander Lukashenko believes he can maintain strong relations with both China and Russia without having to reduce cooperation with either.

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Ukraine war

Belarus accuses Ukraine of violating airspace, sends more troops to border

President Lukashenko says air defence forces destroyed ‘about a dozen’ of Kyiv’s drones linked to its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.

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A Ukrainian soldier watches a drone feed from an underground command centre in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, in December 2022. Photo: AP
China’s military

Chinese and Belarusian troops practice seizing airport near Ukraine border

The ‘anti-terrorist’ exercise was held just days after Nato denounced Beijing as a ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia’s war effort.

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China-EU relations

As China boosts ties with Russia, Belarus, Europe ponders possible rising threat

European Union may reconsider its relationship with the world’s second-largest market because of Beijing’s support for Moscow.

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China’s military

Chinese troops in Belarus for ‘anti-terrorist training’ near Poland, Ukraine

Exercise near border city of Brest is likely to add to concerns among EU and Nato members.

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Chinese troops are taking part in a joint military exercise in Belarus for the first time. Photo: Belarusian Ministry of Defence
Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Explainer | Why is Russia hosting a World Friendship Games, 40 years after the last one?

With athletes from Russia and Belarus banned from the Olympics, officials have relaunched an event last seen during the Cold War.

Ukrainians outside International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters calling for a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. Photo: AFP
Russia

Belarus to join Russia’s second-stage nuclear exercises

In theory the use of tactical nuclear weapons could deliver a stunning shock to the West without necessarily prompting a full-blown nuclear war, though the risk of triggering a cycle of escalation would be huge.

Vladimir Putin

Russia’s Putin arrives in Uzbekistan on third foreign trip of his new term

Russian president is to hold talks with Uzbekistan’s President Shavkay Mirziyoyev which are expected to focus on deepening the countries’ relations.

Ukraine war

Polish man arrested, suspected of spying for Russia to aid Zelensky assassination plot

Poland’s National Prosecutor said the man, arrested on Wednesday, was accused of being prepared to pass airport security information to Russian agents.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference during the Three Seas Summit in Lithuania on April 11. Photo: EPA-EFE
Ukraine war

Kremlin says Ukraine peace talks without Russia ‘make no sense’

Switzerland on Wednesday announced that a high-level conference on the Ukraine conflict would be held on June 15-16, but without Russia.

Portraits of Russian service members killed in the Ukraine conflict. Photo: Reuters
Russia

Locals protest as Russian regions face worst flooding for decades

Russia warned of ‘unprecedented’ flooding in coming days as locals in a city partially submerged by rising waters took to the streets in rare protest at the authorities’ handling of the crisis.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Explainer | How will Russian and Belarusian athletes be cleared to compete at Paris Olympics?

After initially being banned, the athletes can now take part after passing some vetting criteria, including not actively supporting the war in Ukraine.

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Russia

Moscow concert hall attackers first headed for Belarus, not Ukraine: Lukashenko

Belarusian president, a close Putin ally, said Belarus and Russia had coordinated actions as suspects fled to Bryansk, bordering Ukraine and Belarus, where they were apprehended.

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Photo: Reuters
Russia

Launch of Russian Soyuz spacecraft aborted seconds before blast-off

The crew – a Russian, a Belarusian and an American headed for the International Space Station – were safely evacuated.

Sexual harassment and assault

Thousands mourn Liza, who fled Belarus only to be raped and killed in Poland

A man has been charged with assault for the attack on a 25-year-old migrant that has sparked outrage among women’s rights groups and fellow refugees.

Russia

Lukashenko to run for president in 2025, Belarus blasts US over poll criticism

The president spoke on the day his nation – Russia’s neighbour and ally – held parliamentary elections described as a sham by the opposition.

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Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko addresses the media in Minsk on Sunday. Photo: Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP
United States

US targets network in Hong Kong, Belgium and Sweden with new Russia sanctions

The leader, Belgian businessman Hans De Geetere, was also charged over a scheme to export military-grade US technology to end users in China and Russia.

A Russian flag flies next to the US embassy building in Moscow in November. Photo: AFP
China trade

Rail routes between China, Europe go off track as freight operators skip Russia

Russia’s invasion has limited shipment routes from China to Europe and raised interest in alternative and nascent routes – including across the choppy Caspian Sea. But relevant governments need to get on board.

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Russia

Finland to close all but one border crossing with Russia

Border crossing closures follow a surge in migrants which Finland claims Russia is intentionally pushing.

Ukraine war

Russia trying to buy back arms sold to other countries to use in Ukraine

Moscow has held secret talks with Egypt, Belarus, Brazil and Pakistan, insiders say, with Egypt and Belarus agreeing to send helicopter engines back to Russia.

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A Russian tank burns in a field near the town of Vuhledar, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, in a picture released on Sunday. Photo: Press Service of the 72nd Black Zaporozhians Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces via Reuters
European Union

Nobel withdraws invite to Russia, Belarus, Iran to attend ceremonies

The decision was widely praised by Swedish politicians, several of whom said they would boycott the ceremony in Stockholm if those countries were represented.

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A Nobel medal from the foundation that administers the prestigious Nobel awards. File: AP
Ukraine war

Russian invite to Nobel Prize ceremony sparks ire

The organiser’s decision to include the Russian and Belarusian ambassadors this year drew anger in Ukraine, Sweden and elsewhere.

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Thailand

Thailand looks to lure back Chinese tourists by easing visa rules

Scrapping visa application fees could entice back more of the 11 million Chinese visitors who went to Thailand pre-pandemic. But some tourism officials want more big-spending Russians, Belarusians and Kazakhs instead.

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