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Belarus

US and South Korean troops fire TACMS missiles and South Korea’s Hyunmoo Missile II, into the waters of the East Sea, off South Korea in July 2017. Photo: Handout/Reutes

Russia

Ukraine strikes Russia with Western missiles as Putin updates nuclear doctrine

Ukrainian forces conducted their first strike in Russia using Western-supplied ATACMS missiles.

19 Nov 2024 - 8:03PM

Ukraine war

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

26 Sep 2024 - 11:41AMvideocam

Japan

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

5 Sep 2024 - 11:42AM

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.

30 Aug 2024 - 6:57AMvideocam

Chinese Premier Li Qiang (left) meets Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus, on August 22. Belarus has stepped up its engagement with China in recent years as it tries to lessen its dependence on neighbouring Russia. Photo: Xinhua

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.

11 Aug 2024 - 4:31AMvideocam

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.

19 Jul 2024 - 5:23PMvideocam

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.

15 Jul 2024 - 3:36PMvideocam

Chinese soldiers arrive in Belarus to take part in a joint anti-terrorist training exercise in July. Photo: Belarusian Defence Ministry

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.

8 Jul 2024 - 4:51PMvideocam

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.

4 Jul 2024 - 9:22AM

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.

10 Jun 2024 - 6:33PM

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.

27 May 2024 - 12:17PM

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomes Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Sputnik via AFP

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.

19 Apr 2024 - 5:49AM

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.

12 Apr 2024 - 1:01PM

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.

9 Apr 2024 - 1:38PM

A flooded part of the city of Orsk, Russia’s Orenburg region. Photo: Kommersant via AFP

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.

27 Mar 2024 - 3:00PM

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.

27 Mar 2024 - 10:47AMvideocam

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.

22 Mar 2024 - 2:54AM

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.

7 Mar 2024 - 5:05AM

A woman holds a candle as she attends a vigil on Wednesday for Liza, a 25 year-old refugee from Belarus who died after being attacked, raped and severely beaten in downtown Warsaw. Photo: AFP

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.

26 Feb 2024 - 6:40AMvideocam

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.

7 Dec 2023 - 2:30AM

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.

24 Nov 2023 - 9:51AMvideocam

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.

23 Nov 2023 - 1:47PM

Finnish Border Guards check the documents of arriving migrants at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland. Photo: AFP

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.

10 Nov 2023 - 2:51AMvideocam

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.

2 Sep 2023 - 11:50PMvideocam

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.

2 Sep 2023 - 5:42AMvideocam

The Nobel laureates and the royal family of Sweden attend the award ceremony in Stockholm in December 2022. Photo:TT via AP

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.

30 Aug 2023 - 10:37AMvideocam

Chinese tourists visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok earlier this year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Ukraine war

Putin tells mercenaries to sign oath of allegiance after Wagner chief’s death

The mandatory oath for private military contractors was a clear move to bring them under tighter state control following the attempted mutiny by the volatile Yevgeny Prigozhin.

26 Aug 2023 - 9:58PM

Ukraine war

‘It’s a lie’: Russia rejects claims Putin approved Prigozhin killing

US assessments indicated the plane may have been destroyed by a bomb on board, the UK also is working on the assumption the plane was brought down deliberately, but Putin’s spokesman says: ‘All of this is an absolute lie’.

26 Aug 2023 - 1:23AMvideocam

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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:

25 September, 2024