Belarus Review by iSANS — July 22, 2025 

According to Ukrainian monitoring channels, at least four Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (combat “Shahed”-type drones and “Herbera” simulators) were recorded in Belarusian airspace between 14 and 20 July. All drones subsequently crossed into Ukrainian territory.

New information also emerged about drone activity during the previous week (7–13 July). According to Pozirk, on the night of 12 July, a Russian UAV was shot down near the village of Mokhovo in the Loyew district. This brings the number of Russian drones reportedly downed in Belarus on that day to at least three – a record number within 24 hours.

Notably, there has been no official commentary regarding these drone crashes. However, an article published on 15 July by Narodny Holas (Yelsk, Homiel region) titled “What to do if you find drone debris” advised that UAVs may crash following a successful strike or during air defence operations. Even after landing, they may still pose a danger. In the event of finding drone debris, citizens are advised to contact the police immediately, refrain from taking photographs, and, if possible, prevent others from approaching the site until emergency services arrive. These recommendations appear aimed less at ensuring public safety and more at preventing the spread of information about such incidents.

On 14 July, Business Insider published a report on Russia’s modernisation of its nuclear facilities. Journalists analysed satellite imagery from Planet Labs, including images of the 1405^th artillery ammunition base (military unit 42707), located near the village of Bolshaya Horzha in the Asipovichy district. The report highlights construction of new infrastructure in the northern part of the base (first reported in 2023) and the development of a railway branch line leading to the site (construction began in summer 2024, though plans had existed prior to 2020). Experts cited in the report note that while there is no concrete evidence of tactical nuclear weapons being stored at the base, it could be used for this purpose if necessary. At present, it is likely that nuclear munitions remain in Russia – for example, at the Bryansk-18 base in Bryansk region, approximately 320 km from Bolshaya Horzha.

According to state media, between 16 and 18 July, tactical exercises were conducted involving the 2285^th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion (military unit 48685). Personnel from the battalion’s 2nd Radio-Technical Centre performed training tasks to expand radar coverage and ensure protection of troops and critical civilian infrastructure. Combat crews practised airspace reconnaissance, identification of aircraft, determining flight altitude and national affiliation, and relaying information to higher command posts.

On 18 July, the Internal Troops press service reported that Commander Mikalai Karpiankou met with personnel operating in a border area (presumably near Ukraine). He thanked members of the Special Rapid Response Unit and the Special Forces Unit “Berkut”. A group photo released by the press service showed approximately 60 servicemen. This confirms that Internal Troops units continue their presence along the Ukrainian border, where they were first deployed in summer 2024 to reinforce border security.

On 16 July, Valery Ravenka, Head of the Department for International Military Cooperation of the Belarusian Ministry of Defence, criticised what he described as Poland’s “formal” response to Minsk’s proposal to conduct verification activities. He accused Poland of ongoing militarisation and claimed that Warsaw continues to follow the directives of actors interested in provoking a military conflict in Europe – one that could potentially involve both Belarus and Poland. The following day, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “took note” of Poland’s accusations that Belarusian authorities were involved in border incidents, but stated that attempts to shift responsibility for the EU’s migration crisis onto Belarus were “misleading and unproductive.”

On July 15, EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Marta Kos announced a new support package for Belarusian civil society, following a meeting with the leader of Belarusian democratic forces Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Brussels. The package is aimed at supporting independent journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society actors operating in exile or under pressure. The possibility of additional support for the Belarusian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other exiled independent media was discussed separately. According to Tsikhanouskaya’s office, the democratic forces are not involved in distributing the aid, which will be provided through EU programmes and open calls. Tsikhanouskaya thanked the EU for its continued engagement, stating that Belarusians “represent an alternative to the ‘Russian world’ and to Lukashenka’s power,” and emphasised that the struggle for freedom remains a shared cause between Belarus and democratic Europe.

Also on July 15, Tsikhanouskaya addressed the Rose-Roth Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels. Speaking before lawmakers and officials from NATO and EU member states, she reaffirmed that the democratic movement is ready to lead Belarus toward European integration. She highlighted the recently released Red Paper on Belarus–European security cooperation, a policy document prepared with the involvement of Belarusian experts, including contributors from iSANS, which outlines how a democratic Belarus could contribute to regional peace and stability. Framing international support as a strategic investment rather than charity, she called for sustained engagement and long-term commitment to democratic change in Belarus.

On July 20, Politico published an in-depth report on the June release of 14 political prisoners from Belarus, including Siarhei Tsikhanouski. According to the article, the release was secured through personal negotiations between Aliaksandr Lukashenka and John Coale, a lawyer close to Donald Trump and acting as an informal envoy. The process involved discreet travel arrangements, meetings at the Independence Palace, and symbolic gestures such as vodka toasts. While the release was welcomed, the report underscores that political prisoners remain a tool of political bargaining for the regime and that the current diplomatic engagement with Minsk continues to bypass institutional frameworks in favour of personalised channels.

On July 18, the European Union adopted its 18th sanctions package in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, which also introduced new restrictions against Belarus. The package targets eight Belarusian defence industry entities supporting Russian military efforts, reportedly including the Legmash plant in Orsha, which manufactures components for multiple-launch rocket systems. Their assets are to be frozen and access to EU markets terminated. In addition, the EU imposed a full ban on financial transactions with Belarusian banks already disconnected from the SWIFT system and introduced a first-ever embargo on arms imports from Belarus. The list of dual-use goods and technologies restricted for export or transit via Belarus was also expanded. The Council of the EU specified that limited exemptions apply to diplomatic missions and EU citizens residing in Belarus, as well as for the liquidation of investments. According to the official EU communiqué, these measures aim to limit both Russia’s and Belarus’s capacity to sustain their military-industrial base and are part of broader efforts to increase economic pressure and enforce sanctions compliance.

On July 20, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto paid an unannounced visit to Belarus and held a closed-door meeting with Lukashenka at his residence near Minsk. The three-hour discussion, officially described as “informal and friendly,” focused on expanding trade in fertilizers and raw materials. Deputy Prime Minister Viktar Karankevich and Siarhei Zelenkevich, advisor to Lukashenka’s eldest son, also participated. The format and composition of the meeting suggest that the regime is attempting to diversify external trade relations beyond Russia, including in Southeast Asia, using approaches previously tested in Africa. Subianto arrived directly from meetings with senior EU officials in Paris and Brussels. No public agreements were announced.

Also on July 15, Lukashenka appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Ihar Sekreta as special representative for the implementation of the Union State Security Guarantees Treaty, signed with Russia in December 2024. The position, created by presidential decree, grants Sekreta the authority to coordinate implementation across Belarusian state bodies. While the treaty includes provisions for mutual defence – including potential use of nuclear weapons – Sekreta’s appointment does not in itself imply further military integration. Rather, it marks an attempt by the regime to formalise and structure the treaty’s implementation within the diplomatic apparatus, while at the same time partially distancing the process from the purview of the Security Council.

According to “Viasna” Human Rights Centre, since 2020, at least 1,600 political prisoners have served their full terms and have been released. In June 2025, at least 33 people were released, of whom 20 had served their terms in full, and 13 more were pardoned. The number of political prisoners who have been released after serving their sentences may be higher due to the lack of accurate information about their release.

Pressure on prisoners with a “political” past is increasing, even if they are serving sentences under “non-political” charges, “Viasna” Human Rights Centre reported. According to its information, in the autumn of 2024, there were about ten women in correctional colony No. 4, convicted of “economic” and “narcotic” charges, who were assigned “extremist status” due to previous “political” administrative cases against them. In 2023, those convicted of drug crimes and grievous bodily harm were placed under surveillance as “extremists” in one of the open-type correctional institutions. The reason was their participation in the 2020 protest actions. This status can lead to arbitrary reporting by the administration of the institution of violations of the regime by prisoners. After three violations, the prisoner may be given a tougher sentence and transferred to a correctional colony. In addition, these penalties deprive a person of the opportunity for parole.

The Investigative Committee reported on a criminal case against a 39-year-old resident of Babruysk. She is accused of facilitating extremist activities. According to the Investigative Committee, in March 2022, the woman made a video recording of military equipment moving towards the Homel region. She sent the recording to “a group recognised as extremist in one of the popular messaging apps.” It was noted that the woman’s husband is serving a sentence for participating in protests in September 2020.

A mass trial has begun in Hrodna on charges of “facilitating extremist activities”. At least five people are being tried. There is little information available about this trial. It is, however, known that the case is not related to the “Hayun case”, but to the “yard chats”. Last autumn, a wave of arrests took place throughout Belarus as part of the investigation into “yard chats”. The KGB has recognised several popular chat rooms as extremist.

Two Belarusian journalists, Tatsiana Karavenkava and Hlafira Zhuk, have been put on the wanted list in Russia. Their inclusion in the list indicated that they are wanted under criminal articles, but it was not specified which ones. Tatsiana Karavenkava worked for many years as a political and international columnist for the independent news agency BelaPAN. In 2021, she was forced to leave Belarus. On 18 October 2024, a letter from the Minsk City Agency for State Registration and Land Cadastre arrived at her registration address in Belarus, from which she learned that her property had been seized. The reasons for the seizure of the property were not indicated in the letter. Hlafira Zhuk was detained in the summer of 2021 in a barbershop because she had attended the “Students Case” trial and was arrested for 30 days. After her release, she was expelled from the journalism faculty of Belarusian State University for “failing to attend exams”. In the autumn of 2021, she left Belarus. In 2024, the KGB opened a criminal case against her. Charges against her are not yet known.

On 16 July, the law “On Amendments to Laws on Ensuring Children’s Rights” was published on the National Legal Internet Portal. Amendments were introduced to the Marriage and Family Code, the laws “On the Rights of the Child”, “On Guarantees for the Social Protection of Orphans, Children Left Without Parental Care, and Persons Among Orphans and Children Left Without Parental Care“, and other laws. The law stipulates that children are obliged to “respect the state symbols of the Republic of Belarus”. Children will also be required to “comply with the laws of the state, take care of their parents, respect the rights and legitimate interests of other citizens, the values and cultural traditions of the Belarusian people, other nations and nationalities”, “preserve the historical memory of the heroic past of the Belarusian people”, and “take care of their health, lead a healthy lifestyle, exercise social responsibility, contribute to the development of society and the state, acquire knowledge and prepare for independent work, take care of the environment and natural resources, and all types of property”. According to the law, children have the right to form public associations, provided that the activities of these associations “do not have the aim of carrying out terrorist and extremist activities, or acts prohibited by law or that could lead to such activities or acts”. The law clarified the list of restrictions on working with children. In particular, persons convicted of committing crimes of an “extremist orientation” or crimes under narcotic charges will be deprived of this right. The law also introduced a duty for legal representatives to protect children from information disseminated on the Internet that harms their health and development. The main provisions of the law will come into force six months after the publication of the document.

The authorities seized the land of the former editor of Novy Chas, Aksana Kolb. The seizure took place a year ago, but she only found out about it now. Kolb was detained on 20 April 2022. Security service personnel with shields and sledgehammers came to her apartment to take her away “for questioning by the Investigative Committee”. She was charged with organising and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them. Kolb was in a pre-trial detention centre before the trial. The court found her guilty and sentenced her to two and a half years of restriction of freedom and sent her to an open-type correctional facility. She was temporarily released in the courtroom and left Belarus. In the autumn of 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added her to the list of persons involved in “extremist activities”. At the end of 2024, another criminal case was opened against her in absentia. She does not know the details, but the case was opened by the Investigative Committee in Brest, allegedly “for discrediting” and “facilitating extremist activities”. In March 2025, Kolb received a summons to the Valazhynski district court, summoning her “as a convict” to replace a restriction of freedom with harsher penalty.

Blogger Ruslan Linnik was released after serving his second sentence. On 11 July, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added Linnik to the “list of extremists” with a note that he was serving his sentence. However, the blogger is now free. In February 2021, Linnik was sentenced to four years of imprisonment for insulting Lukashenka, slandering, including against Lukashenka, and insulting a representative of the government. His term ended in October 2024, but a new criminal case was opened against him, and he was not released. At the new trial, Linnik was sentenced to two and a half years of imprisonment under charges of “incitement to discord”. Taking into account the partial aggregation of punishments and the period of detention in the pre-trial detention centre, the blogger was released now. In total, he spent four years and four months behind bars.

Several hundred people have been prosecuted in Minsk in recent weeks on charges of participation in the 2020 protests. Human rights activists note that this increase in prosecution is due to the fact that the statute of limitations for prosecution under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organisation and preparation of actions grossly violating public order, or active participation in them) will soon expire. At the same time, prosecution under Article 293 of the Criminal Code (participation in mass riots) will continue, since the statute of limitations for this charge is much longer.

On 15 July, Avtonomnoye Deystviye (Autonomous Action) was added to the list of extremist formations. The Telegram channel “Pramen” noted that the recognition of the Avtonomnoye Deystviye as an extremist formation was connected with a new criminal case against anarchist Mikola Dziadok. The statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs classified the Avtonomnoye Deystviye as a structural unit of Revolucyonnoye Deystviye (Revolutionary Action), which was recognised as “extremist” several years ago. Meanwhile, the Belarusian branch of the Avtonomnoye Deystviye ceased to exist back in 2010 before the appearance of the Revolucyonnoye Deystviye. “Nonsense about a structural unit looks like a pretext, opening the door to prosecution for actions that took place in the country 20 years ago,” “Pramen” said. Mikola Dziadok was detained in November 2020. A year later, he was sentenced to five years of imprisonment for participating in protests, calling for actions aimed at harming national security, and other charges. He was supposed to be released in early April 2025. However, in the spring of 2025, shortly before the date of Dziadok’s expected release, it became known that he had been transferred to pretrial detention centre No. 1 in connection with a new criminal case. At the end of May, information about new charges against him appeared on a Telegram channel close to the security forces. In particular, accusations of inciting racial, national, religious, or other social hostility or discord were mentioned.

The term “extremist formation” was introduced into Belarusian legislation in 2021 to suppress mass public protests. It was introduced by the new version of the law “On Countering Extremism”. The Lukashenka regime puts such a label on organisations, public associations, and the media. According to “Viasna” Human Rights Centre, authorities have recognised 300 organisations and groups as “extremist formations” in Belarus. At least 277 people have been convicted on charges of “creating or participating in an extremist formation”, 65 of them in absentia. Politicians, journalists, activists, cultural figures, and ordinary citizens have been subjected to such charges.

The KGB updated the list of “persons involved in terrorist activities”. The names of 15 people appeared there, including Allan Royo, an Estonian citizen who had been pardoned a few weeks ago. There are currently 1,318 people on the “terrorist list”, 622 of whom are Belarusians. Another 32 people have been added to the list of “extremists” by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There are now 5,543 names on the list. Allan Royo was added to it as well.

The article “Propaganda of homosexual relations, sex reassignment, childlessness, paedophilia” will be introduced to the Administrative Code. Disseminating information to promote the attractiveness of homosexual relationships, sex reassignment, childlessness, or the acceptance of paedophilia will be penalised. Fines of up to 20 basic units will be established for individuals (approximately 840 Belarusian rubles, or 220 Euro), for individual entrepreneurs – up to 100 basic units (4,200 rubles, or 1,110 Euro), for legal entities – up to 150 basic units (6,300 rubles, or 1,650 Euro). If the information becomes available to minors, the penalties will be higher. In particular, citizens can be arrested, and companies can be fined up to 200 basic units (8,400 rubles, or 2,200 Euro). The planned changes not only contradict the constitution, but also the international obligations of the state in the field of human rights. Experts noted that this innovation was borrowed from Russia, where the persecution of the LGBTQ+ community had been introduced earlier. Punishment for the so-called propaganda will become a green light for homophobes, and aggression and violence in society will increase even more, experts stressed.

On 16 July 2025, Nils Muižnieks, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus; Irene Khan,  Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; and Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, called for the immediate launch of effective and transparent investigations into the deaths of individuals in Belarus who were deprived of their liberty for expressing political dissent. “Over the past four years, several individuals identified by human rights defenders as political prisoners have died in custody or shortly after being released,” the experts noted. They stressed that these deaths occurred amid consistent reports of ill-treatment of individuals deprived of liberty for expressing disagreement with the authorities, including participants in protests surrounding the 2020 presidential elections. “Where an individual dies in custody, the presumption of their arbitrary deprivation of life can only be rebutted on the basis of a proper investigation,” the experts said. On 16 June 2025, as well as in 2023, the experts sent a letter to the Belarusian authorities to express their concerns about possible grave human rights violations surrounding these deaths. They have not received any responses. “It is of the utmost importance to thoroughly investigate the alleged instances of ill-treatment and neglect that resulted in the deaths of Shtermer, Ashurak, Pushkin, and other persons designated as political prisoners by human rights defenders,” the experts stressed. “There are strong reasons to believe that these individuals lost their lives in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.” “We are also concerned that some of these individuals have been stigmatised by the authorities as ‘extremists’ or ‘terrorists’,” the experts said, recalling that they had repeatedly called on Belarus to bring its counter-terrorism and anti-extremism legal framework in line with its international human rights law obligations.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen called for the unconditional release of political prisoner Ihar Losik, who was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in December 2021. There has been no contact with him since February 2022. “This week I am honored to highlight Ihar Losik, a reporter for Belarus’s Radio Svaboda. Ihar risked everything to provide truth to the Belarusian people ahead of the Lukashenka regime’s rigged election. I call for Ihar’s unconditional release,” she wrote on the X social network.

The delegation of the Polish Sejm raised the issue of the release of political prisoner Andrzej Poczobut by the regime in Minsk during a visit to the United States. Radoslav Vogel (“Law and Justice”) noted that this topic has been raised repeatedly. “We stressed that we expect attention to be focused on both Andrzej Poczobut and other political prisoners who are of particular concern to Poland. There are no illusions about the role of Lukashenka in this matter. In addition, we also explained to our interlocutors that Belarus is difficult to consider as a separate entity. This is actually a puppet state, which today is largely controlled from the Kremlin,” he commented.

Last week, Belarusian state propagandists openly expressed their growing disappointment with the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration. A Telegram post by Ryhor Azaronak on 14 July epitomised the rhetoric: “The Yank always lies. Lies even when trying to speak the truth. Lies brazenly, to your face. He will come as a guest, break bread with you – and then defile your house. It is in his nature.” Andrei Mukavozchyk echoed this sentiment in articles for SB. Belarus Segodnya, accusing “all Westerners” of habitual deception. “It seems every phrase coming from the West, whether from an Anglo-Saxon or a continental European, must be run through a lie detector. Because behind every statement or action there is deception, fake news, disinformation. A simple example: the U.S. is ‘waltzing’ through another round of negotiations with Iran – and while doing so, Israel launches a war.”

He went on to claim that while the U.S. once waged a proxy war against Russia using Ukrainians, “now it will continue fighting with Ukrainians, but the arms and ammunition will be paid for by Europe.” Mukavozchyk also accused the “Anglo-Saxon elites” of using and developing artificial intelligence to “dumb down humanity” and ultimately to create a new “world order based on their rules,” where a “controlled humanity” will live under imposed norms. Valery Bayneu, a pro-regime commentator known for promoting conspiracy theories, argued that Trump – like Biden – is merely a puppet of the super-rich who “buy up political parties, appoint presidents,” and constitute a “single world government on Earth.” “Surely no reader doubts that the deranged Joe Biden was a typical marionette in their hands. And Trump, the loudmouth, is just another puppet, changing his position at the drop of a hat depending on the will of the ‘deep state’ he claims to be fighting.” Bayneu called for Belarus, Russia, and China to unite through the Union State, EAEU, SCO, and BRICS to collectively oppose “runaway globalists.”

On 15 July, Azaronak ridiculed those who had “awaited a harsh, fateful, decisive, terrifying, crushing statement from Trump,” suggesting the entire event unfolded “according to the rules of show business.” The “showman,” he wrote, was not dealing with “TV studio extras, but with the lives of Ukrainians,” which he described as “cheaper.” He again urged audiences to listen to Lukashenka, “who says not to believe a single word from the Americans, only their actions.” Pavel Karnazytski, a columnist for Minskaya Pravda, described Trump’s statement as a “mountain giving birth to a mouse,” suggesting that, should further communication difficulties with Trump arise, Russian authorities would likely “offer him a dose of flattery as well.”

His colleague Yury Uvarau was more caustic. He claimed Trump’s “inflated self-esteem, combined with emotional instability, will eventually be his undoing.” According to Uvarau, Trump forgets that “flatterers and sycophantic lackeys” – referring to some European leaders – are always the first to betray. “The U.S. has already lost its position as a global hegemon. As its power fades, the predictable disgrace will follow: those whom Trump considers loyal vassals will be the first to trample on the American flag. And the greatest humiliation will come from Poland.”

In parallel, pro-government political analyst Vadzim Yalfimau attacked U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who had suggested that Vladimir Putin ask Iran’s Supreme Leader what might happen if he refused Trump’s ultimatum on ending the war in Ukraine. In an state media outlet Minskaya Pravda, Yalfimau launched a tirade of insults and threats: “Listen, Mr or Ms Graham, have you ever once in your 70 foolish years considered what will happen to Washington, New York, California, your South Carolina, and the whole of America if Vladimir Putin – the president of a country capable of destroying the U.S. 120 times over – ever decides to believe in your ultimatums? And the Russian counter-strike will not wait 50 days. It will reach you in exactly 45 minutes. No more.”

On 15 July, pro-regime expert Aliaksandr Shpakouski praised what he called “high momentum” on the “Chinese vector.” He cited Lukashenka’s meeting with the rector of Peking University, Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Foreign Ministers, and recent visits to China by delegations from Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISI, state-affiliated think tank under the Presidential Administration) and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). In this context, Azaronak noted that Lukashenka’s youngest son, Mikalai, in addition to studying at Belarusian State University, is enrolled in a “highly demanding academic programme” at Peking University. According to Azaronak, “China has chosen the path of developing technologies, AI, computing, and software – all in pursuit of sovereignty. Under the leadership of the great Communist Party, it has achieved tremendous success. Today, the most advanced technologies for humanity are emerging there – technologies no one ever shares with others. But not in the case of the Belarusian–Chinese alliance. They see our strength. They see our will. They see in us a truly sovereign, not souvenir, state. They know that power here will not change tomorrow, that no hysterical NATO-loving iconoclasts will come and topple Lenin statues. They have studied Gorbachev’s perestroika very well. And they know that a true ally is one who stays the course, who does not betray ideals, who is willing to lay down their life for their people. Aliaksandr Lukashenka is a true ally.”

On the same day, the head of the Lida district executive committee, Aliaksandr Viarsotski, publicly thanked the Lukashenka-controlled police for their “productive work” in 2020 and called on the authorities to continue repression: “There is a slogan: ‘We will not forget, we will not forgive.’ We cannot forgive those who tried to overturn our country back then. The work of law enforcement in this direction has been ongoing ever since – do not stop!” The next day, propagandist Ryhor Azaronak echoed these statements in an official media outlet by declaring a “Manifesto of No Forgiveness”, directed at opponents of the regime. He called on citizens to assist the police in identifying and capturing those who had taken part in protests: “State, I take everything you are doing upon myself as well. Act, act harshly. They wanted to turn this place into hell. They would not have spared anyone. They would have ‘lustrated’ – murdered, hanged, raped […] I proclaim the MANIFESTO OF NO FORGIVENESS. Evil does not understand good. And the highest expression of love is to eradicate evil.”

In a separate Telegram post, Azaronak claimed that Belarusians live in a “natural paradise” and reminded readers that true Paradise has a “single sovereign ruler” whose authority “has not been contested since the time of the first protester – the archangel Lucifer, also known as Satan.” He urged citizens to appreciate the “paradise” in Belarus and its “sole sovereign,” effectively likening Lukashenka to a deity – another step in constructing a personality cult.

Meanwhile, on 17 July, Lukashenka publicly declared that trade unions are a “party organisation” and a “powerful base” for maintaining stability. He thanked the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) and its chairman Yury Sianko for their “active participation in the election campaign” and for providing “great support,” including to himself personally.

During the reporting period, pro-regime commentators also closely followed domestic political developments in Ukraine, forecasting no positive changes and accusing Ukrainian leadership of lacking autonomy. SB columnist Aliona Krasouskaya claimed that all recent government reshuffles in Kyiv are orchestrated from the United States and that Trump “is placing people in key positions whom he can work with.” Citing unnamed experts, she suggested that “preparations are under way for a change of president in Ukraine”: “It is likely that he [Trump] has already chosen a candidate. The name is not being disclosed yet, but the selection criteria are obvious: a compliant personality and readiness to follow orders.” Yury Uvarau argued that by appointing Yuliia Svyrydenko as prime minister, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is signalling the final sell-off of Ukraine’s remaining assets, claiming that she had previously negotiated agreements to transfer natural resources and other assets to U.S. companies.

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Best regards,
iSANS team