Belarus Review by iSANS — November 04, 2024 

Belarus Review (2024 edition, issue 41)

A weekly update on the ongoing political crisis in the Republic of Belarus was prepared for you by the International Strategic Action Network for Security (iSANS).

Russian drones used in the war against Ukraine continued to fly into Belarusian airspace. During the week, at least 24 Shahed-136/131 drones flew in. Thus, on October 28, 3 Shahed-136/131 drones flew into the airspace of Belarus. October 29 – five Shahed-136/131; October 30 – one  Shahed-136/131; On October 31 – one Shahed-136/131; November 1 – at least nine Shahed-136/131; November 2 – five Shahed-136/131. Subsequently, most of them flew to Ukraine. Also on November 1, it was reported about an attempt to destroy drones by the Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus in Mozyr district. In total, at least 120 Russian drones flew into the airspace of Belarus from July 11 to November 2. Six of them were shot down by the Air Defense Forces of the Belarusian and Russian Armed Forces or crashed on the territory of Belarus.

On October 28, Ministry of Defense of Belarus published another tender for the purchase of Chinese drones: Autel EVO MAX 4T (13 sets), Autel EVO MAX 4N (6 sets) and FIMI X8 SE 2022 Megaphone Combo (5 sets). In total, they plan to spend 673,977 BYN / $ 203,883 on the procurement.

In September 2025, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) exercises will be held in Belarus. These are joint exercises with the CSTO operational response forces “Interaction-2025”, exercises with the intelligence forces “Search-2025” and exercises with the forces of logistics support of the troops “Echelon-2025”. The last time the above-mentioned exercises were held on the territory of Belarus in 2023.

The State Border Committee will build a new outpost in Naroulya district of Homel region. It is planned that all the border outpost facilities will be built by the end of 2026. A total of nine border outposts have been built (reconstruction has taken place or construction started) in Homel region alone since 2022. The construction of new outposts on the Belarus-Ukraine border also takes place in Brest region.

During the period under consideration, it became known that Poland intends to seek the introduction by the European Union of 30% duties on imports of fertilizers from Belarus and Russia. Poland’s Ministry of State Assets (MSA) has asked the Polish Ministry of Energy and Technology to coordinate actions to submit a corresponding application to the European Commission, according to the Deputy Minister of State Assets Jacek Bartmiński. Bartmiński pointed out that a significant increase in fertilizer imports from outside the European Union has a strong impact on fertilizer prices and, consequently, on the financial results of a Polish potash producer concern Grupa Azoty.

On October 29, the Central Election Committee of Belarus registered the initiative group of the presidential candidate Aliaksandr Lukashenka but declined registration for the opposition candidate and Chairperson of the movement “For Freedom”, Yury Hubarevich. As the reason for the decline of registration was given that Hubarevich submitted documents via e-mail and such a procedure is not foreseen by the law. Also, the initiative group of Aliaksandr Drazdou wasn’t registered. Also, on the Telegram channel of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada (BSDPG), liquidated by the state back in 2023, it was announced that Hanna Kanapatskaya intends to run as a presidential candidate and starts to form her initiative group as well as that she turned to the party seeking to recruit activists for her initiative group. The BSDPG called on the party members to abstain from joining the initiative group and not to fall into the trap. Previously, the pro-Lukashenka politician Aleh Haidukevich expressed his intention to run as a presidential candidate in the 2025 election and submitted his application just before the deadline on October 31. The spokesperson of the Ministry of the Interior of Belarus and its main ideologist Volha Chemadanava also submitted her application. Her initiative group, along with the initiative groups of Aleh Haidukevich and another pro-Lukashenka actor, Chairman of the Republican party of labor and justice, Aliaksandr Khizhnyak, were registered by the Central Electoral Commission. The deadline for submitting applications was on November 1, 2024.

On October 30, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Maria Malmer Stenergard, as a representative of the country holding presidency of the Nordic Council, announced that the Nordic Council countries intend to appoint Special Envoys to strengthen cooperation with the democratic forces of Belarus. According to the Swedish Foreign Minister, the support of the international Humanitarian Fund was also discussed with the Nordic colleagues.

On October 30, the Federal Council of Switzerland decided to adopt further sanctions against Belarus. These sanctions bring Switzerland in line with the measures adopted by the European Union on June 29 and reaffirm country’s close partnership with the EU regarding sanctions. The Swiss sanctions came into force on October 31. The measures are aligned with the sanctions already adopted by the EU and subsequently by Switzerland against Russia. In the financial sector, the new sanctions against Belarus include a ban on investment in companies operating in the Belarusian energy sector. In the trade sector, the bans on exports and imports have been tightened; for example, the purchase and import of gold, diamonds, coal and crude oil from Belarus or of Belarusian origin are now prohibited. There are also new bans on the sale and export to Belarus of luxury goods, goods for oil refining and the liquefaction of natural gas, goods to enhance the Belarusian industrial capacities, jet fuel and fuel additives, and maritime goods. In addition, existing bans – for example, on dual-use goods — are being expanded to include the transit of these goods through Belarus. Like the sanctions against Russia, a contractual obligation is being introduced for exporters to prohibit the re-export from a third country to Belarus of certain goods (‘Common High Priority Items’), including those that are built into equipment used for the warfare against Ukraine. This measure is intended to prevent the sanctions applicable in Switzerland from being circumvented via third countries.

On October 30, it became known that four companies from China and Russia fell under secondary U.S. sanctions for their cooperation with Belarusian legal entities that had been previously sanctioned by the U.S. According to the press release of the U.S. Treasury Department, the October 30 restrictive measures are aimed at further banning possibilities of sanctions circumvention and target several entities in third countries. For instance, the Chinese company Morotack Tianjin Technology Co Ltd which, according to BELPOL, sells critically important parts for military industry to OAO “Rahachou plant “Diaproektor” (sanctioned by the U.S. on August 23, 2024).

On November 1, Lithuanian Customs Service informed about arrest of thirteen used vehicles worth over EUR 200 thousand that were aimed for export to Russia and Belarus. Lithuanian customs suspect a Klaipėda-based company in sanctions circumvention. A legal proceeding has been initiated in the violation of restrictive measures and smuggling. Reportedly, the company filed wrong information about the owners and buyers of the named vehicles in the customs declarations this way aiming to circumvent controls and export the cars from USA to Russia and Belarus this way breaching the international sanctions and restrictions.

During the period under review, the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit in Iceland, where she attended the 76^th Session of the Nordic Council. Ahead of negotiations with Tsikhanouskaya, the Nordic countries confirmed their support for the International Humanitarian Fund to assist Belarusian political prisoners, in particular, Denmark will allocate 5 million Danish kronas to the fund in 2024. During her visit in Iceland, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Speakers of Parliaments from Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Åland Islands, and Greenland. She highlighted the situation with political prisoners and human rights abuses in Belarus and asked for assistance in resolving migration issues faced by Belarusians in exile. Discussions also covered support for civil society and independent media. The highlight of her visit to Iceland became her meeting with Prime Ministers of the Nordic Countries Bjarni Benediktsson (Iceland), Mette Frederiksen (Denmark), Ulf Kristersson (Sweden), Petteri Orpo (Finland), and Jonas Gahr Støre (Norway), the first one of this kind. During the meeting, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed the assistance and possible ways to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus, efforts to promote the Belarusian agenda within the EU, NATO, and the Nordic Council, further pressure on the Lukashenka regime, support for the International Humanitarian Fund. During her working visit to Iceland, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held talks with the foreign ministers of the Nordic countries: Maria Malmer Stenergard (Sweden), Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir (Iceland), Espen Barth Eide (Norway), Elina Valtonen (Finland), and Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Denmark). The discussions focused on ways to support and free political prisoners, assistance to Belarusians in exile in resolving their migration-related issues, Lithuania’s referral of the Lukashenka regime’s crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and support for civil society and media. After this meeting, a press briefing took place, where the Belarusian democratic leader highlighted the most pressing issues in Belarus. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met for the first time with the new President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, who took office in August 2024. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met for the first time with the new President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, who took office in August 2024. Both politicians discussed ways to secure the release and provide support to political prisoners, including those held incommunicado, possible response to the escalation of repression by the Lukashenka regime and increased pressure on Belarusians inside the country and abroad, assistance to independent media, businesses, cultural initiatives, NGOs, and support for Ukraine.

Siarhei Tsikhanousky has been completely isolated from the world for 600 days. “He has no opportunity to see his family, exchange letters, or receive even a word of support from his friends,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office said. The last video of him was published on July 5, 2023. Siarhei Tsikhanousky was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment. In February last year, he was again sentenced to one year and a half on charges of disobedience to the demands of the colony administration. Many Belarusian political prisoners are being held incommunicado, including Maryja Kalesnikava, who has also been held in isolation for more than 600 days.

Dmitry Shlethauer, a 22-year-old Russian citizen, who was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in a high-security colony under charges of espionage and assistance to extremist activities, died in colony No. 15 in Mahileu, “Viasna” Human Rights Center reported. According to preliminary information, the death occurred on October 11, its exact cause is being determined. Dmitry Shlethauer stayed in the colony for less than a month. According to human rights activists, his brother was also detained but was later deported to the Russian Federation. Schlethauer was sentenced by the Brest Regional Court, the trial was held behind closed doors, the details are unknown. Dmitry Schlethauer was recognized as political prisoner on September 27, 2024, by the Human Rights community in Belarus and he is the seventh political prisoner that died in detention in the period from autumn 2020.

Well-known elderly activist and an emblematic figure of Belarusian protests Nina Bahinskaya was detained on October 19 and may soon be tried. On the evening of October 19, she went out on Kazlou street in Minsk with a “BNF” poster. It was on this day 36 years ago that the organizing committee of the BNF (Bialuruski Narodny Front Party) was established. Bahinskaya was going to walk to the building where the BNF office was located for many years but was detained and taken to the Sovietskoje police department. There she was handcuffed and held for three hours. She was released around 22:00. Bahinskaya refused to read and sign the protocol. The date of the trial is yet unknown.

It became known when and on what charges the head of the liquidated Greens party, Dzmitry Kuchuk, will be tried. Dzmitry was detained on February 16 near the Russian embassy. He came to lay flowers in memory of the deceased Russian politician Alexei Navalny. A month later it became known that a criminal case had been opened against him. The hearing of Kuchak’s case will begin on November 22 in the Minsk City Court. He is accused of calls for sanctions and participation in actions grossly violating public order. He faces up to 12 years of imprisonment.

On October 31, human rights activists recognized nine more persons as political prisoners. These are Vadzim Nautsenya, Andrei Subtselny, Siarhei Kabarchuk, Pavel Kabarchuk, Lyudmila Dzeineka, Volha Radzivonava, Daniil Palyanski, Aliaksandr Sudnikovich and Nakanishi Masatoshi. Human rights activists consider their cases to be politically motivated and demand their release.

“Viasna” Human Rights Center reported about a new practice of the security forces: they turn off a person’s mobile connection through a mobile operator before arrest. This practice is used by KGB officers from different cities. “Therefore, if you suddenly lose your mobile connection and there is no mobile network available, it is highly likely that security forces will come to you in the next few minutes,” human rights activists warn.

A new wave of mass detentions across Belarus is reported. The security forces mostly come to those who were previously detained under “protest” charges, as well as to those who returned from abroad. Mass detentions took place in Mahileu: about 10 persons were arrested. At least 14 persons were detained in the village of Yalizava near Asipovichi. In the Maladechna district, security forces come to those who were detained after the 2020 elections. Human rights activists are also aware of cases of “preventive conversations” in Baranavichi, Polatsk, Smargon, Vaukavysk, Zhlobin and Navapolatsk. A wave of detentions also affected Navagrudak. People were searched at 7 a.m. Some were detained by whole families. The total number of detainees is being clarified

Garadzenskaya Pravaabarona human rights group claimed to have received an official document entitled “Materials for members of information and propaganda groups (July 2024) “On measures to counter extremism and terrorism, and the rehabilitation of Nazism. Responsibility for registration on Internet resources recognized as extremist, distribution of extremist materials on the global Internet.” The document was prepared by the Prosecutor’s Office of the Hrodna region and the Office of the Investigative Committee of Belarus for the Hrodna region. The document contains 23 pages and reveals the official figures of the persecution. In particular, it is stated there that in the first half of 2024, almost a thousand (912) persons were convicted of “spreading extremism” in administrative cases in the territory of the region.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Denmark for its contribution to the International Humanitarian Fund to assist Belarusian political prisoners. The contribution amounted to 700 thousand euros. “Together with Norway and Sweden, Danish solidarity helps to provide urgent assistance to thousands of people suffering from the terror of the regime,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote on the X network. Previously, Norway and Sweden also made contributions to the Fund. This year, over 2 million euros have been raised.

The United States can recognize expired Belarusian passports. The relevant bill was published on the website of the US Congress. The document intends “to support Russia’s democratic forces in exile and to codify sanctions imposed under certain Executive orders relating to the Russian Federation” and provides for support from the United States to citizens of Belarus and the Russian Federation who were forced to leave their countries due to political repression and war. Several sections of this bill are devoted to assistance to Belarusians in exile. According to the draft, the United States will recognize expired Belarusian passports as suitable for travel to the United States and put visas in such documents. It is proposed to recognize Belarusian citizens as persons of “homeless nationality” — that is, people who cannot apply for a visa at home and receive the right to apply for U.S. immigration and non-immigrant visas in other countries. It is also proposed to grant temporary protection status to Belarusians — this status is assigned to a person upon request and gives him the right to live and work in the United States. In addition, the document suggests that the United States will call on the European Commission to provide Belarusian citizens in exile with legal documents for international travel.

On October 29, MEP Małgorzata Gosiewska, Chair of the Bureau of the European Parliament delegation for relations with Belarus, made a “Statement on the so-called 2025 Presidential election in Belarus” on behalf of the Bureau. Statement reiterated an unwavering support to the sovereignty and independence of Belarus and full support to the democratic right of the people of Belarus to choose their representatives in free and fair elections, conducted without interference, intimidation and under the auspices of OSCE/ODIHR in full compliance with international standards. It was noted that since the fraudulent 2020 elections, the human rights situation in Belarus has deteriorated substantially. Tens of thousands peaceful protesters have been arrested and nearly 1,300 political prisoners, including opposition political figures, are kept in Belarusian detention facilities. Tens of thousands have also been forced to leave the country. “We strongly condemn the systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations committed in Belarus, including torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment against political prisoners, which may amount to crimes against humanity, according to the report of the UN Human Rights Commissioner,” Gosiewska said. “We stress that elections held in the current atmosphere of fear and repression, and in conditions that are contrary to all internationally recognized standards, with no possibility for Belarusians living abroad to exercise their right to vote and stand as a candidate in the election, with no transparent system for counting of votes and without the participation of international observers, cannot be considered as fair and free,” she underlined.

On October 31, several independent UN experts, including Anaïs Marin, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus; Gabriella Citroni, Chair-Rapporteur, Grażyna Baranowska, Deputy Chair, Aua Baldé and Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez, members of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons; Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, have again written to the authorities in Belarus to voice concerns about continuing allegations of ill-treatment in detention and unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions of human rights of former inmates. While welcoming the recent amnesty and presidential pardons, the experts said that many individuals convicted without fair trial for the legitimate exercise of their civil and political rights remain in detention. Furthermore, reports are emerging about new unfair administrative and criminal convictions. “The situation of some inmates belonging to the political opposition, of human rights defenders and political activists, many of whom have been convicted on extremism and terrorism-related charges, is extremely alarming,” the experts said. “According to allegations received, such inmates are subjected to various forms of ill-treatment, including denial of medical care and prolonged incommunicado detentions, which in some cases could amount to enforced disappearances.” Several inmates have been detained without access to the outside world since February-March 2023, and families are unaware of their fate. It is feared some may have been subjected to life-threatening conditions following a drastic decline in health while detained. The experts said the apparent misuse of the Criminal Code for indefinitely extending the stay in prison of inmates accused of “malicious disobedience” to penitentiary administrations is also concerning. The experts observed that during the past three years, the Belarusian authorities have not responded to several communications by UN Special Procedures related to alleged arbitrary detentions, unfair trials and ill-treatment of inmates. They called on the government to provide information about the health condition, fate and whereabouts of several inmates, to investigate their alleged ill-treatment in detention and to grant pardon or remission of sentence to inmates in vulnerable situations, in line with the UN Standard Minimum Rules for Noncustodial Measures. They have also requested information about steps taken by the Belarusian authorities to bring domestic legislation on combatting extremism and terrorism in line with the requirements of international law.

Film director and activist Andrei Gnet has left Serbia. He was detained on October 30, 2023, at Belgrade airport at the request of the Belarusian authorities. The Belgrade High Court twice ruled on the extradition of Gnet, twice this decision was overturned by the Belgrade Court of Appeal, and in September the case was sent for a new trial. Andrei Gnet spent more than seven months in custody, and on June 6, 2024, he was sent under house arrest. On October 31, the Supreme Court lifted house arrest, after which Andrei Gnet left for one of the EU countries.

During the period under review, the flash mob “Nado!” (“You should!”), about which iSANS wrote in the previous review, has gained strength in Belarus. Back then, when asked by propagandist Olga Skabeeva whether he would run in the upcoming elections, Aliaksandr Lukashenka replied: “Yes, Olya, I will. If Eismant [his press secretary] and my supporters say it’s necessary.” Against this background, the Belarusian segment of the Internet was flooded with posts of praise and short videos in which representatives of parties, universities, and workers asked Lukashenka to run for another presidential term. Movement “Patriots”: “Aliaksandr Ryhoravich, we’re not just saying ‘NADO’, the Patriots of Belarus are all for it.” They posted a video, where cars are lined up in the words “For Bat’ka” (“For the Father”). This action was filmed from the air, it was guarded by the police; most likely, it was organized with state budget funds. Moreover, the “appeal of the people” to Lukashenka was broadcast onto the building of the National Library in Minsk. Its director, MP Vadzim Hihin, described it as follows: “The National Library, the diamond of knowledge, says to our President confidently: “DO IT!!!”  The authors of the “Free Word for Poland” propaganda project in Polish language asked Lukashenka to run for office once again: “Trzeba!” Independent media report that often the filming of such videos is “voluntary-coercive” (for example, university rectorates receive an order from “above” and use leverage to ensure the participation of students and teachers). The Belarusian dictator, in turn, said on the air of Belarus-1 that he was pleased with such an initiative: “I’m happy about it, if it’s a general approval. But God forbid it’s an organized something.” The propagandist assured Lukashenka that people are asking “even journalists” to promote clips in his support. “You can’t fail to publish that people are asking. But I’m saying once again that there should be no overkill here, so that we wouldn’t be accused of some kind of personality cult of the leader,” he ordered.

Last week, pro-government experts and propagandists paid much attention to the elections in Lithuania, Georgia and Moldova, making no secret of their sympathies for pro-Russian Euroskeptic political forces. Telegram channel Yellow Leaks, which is one of the unofficial mouthpieces of the Lukashenka regime, called the results of the parliamentary elections in Lithuania “a complete failure” for the conservatives, but complained that it is unlikely that “the new masters of the Lithuanian parliament” will fundamentally change their foreign policy and suggested that they “will start pumping weapons into Lithuania, spending all their money on them. Anonymous authors of the channel also stated that “the pro-Western opposition lost the elections with a bang” in Georgia, even though for 20 years their “masters” poured into them “a lot of money to make a Russophobic plague barracks out of friendly Georgia” and “even managed to provoke a war”. Pro-government political analyst Andrei Lazutkin, in turn, seeks to whitewash the reputation of the Georgian Dream party, claiming that it is not “pro-Russian”, but simply “a party of Georgian capital, which acts as it pleases”. Yury Uvarau, a columnist of the newspaper Minskaya Prauda joins him, criticizing the Western media for the fact that it is supposedly very easy for them to give “the label of pro-Russianess” and then “start harassing”. In his opinion, Georgian Dream’s election statements include the following statements: “the way to the West and war, or good neighborliness with Russia and peace”, “no one needs war”, “Georgia’s economy is closely linked to Russia to this day”, but they do not turn it into a pro-Russian party. Columnist of SB. Belarus Segodnya columnist Anton Papou believes that “a Maidan, and in fact a massacre,” is already being prepared in Georgia, and the militants ”are just waiting for the signal to come out against the Georgian police.” He writes that the Georgian Dream and its supporters will have to defend their position “under the beastly onslaught of the West and the local opposition.” Papou also predicts a “Maidan from above” for Moldova, suggesting that Maia Sandu “will try to plunge the country into the abyss of a coup d’état just to hold on to power and not let down the Western masters.”

Latvian pro-Russian journalist Yuri Alekseev, 66, fled from Latvia to Belarus. He served as editor-in-chief of Imhoclub.lv, a website that authorities believe “plays a certain role in strengthening Russian information influence in Latvia.” In January 2023, the Riga District Court sentenced Alekseev to one year and one month in prison for inciting hatred and trafficking in child pornography and imposed a one-year term of probation. Aliaksei Dzermant, a pro-government and pro-Russian expert, commented on the event as follows: “My longtime friend and comrade, and in journalistic affairs also a teacher, Yuri Alekseev chose Belarus to escape from the Latvian ‘justice’. He likes our socio-political model, and personally I am glad that I was able to convince him to move to us, instead of sitting in Riga’s prison for the rest of his life”.

In his speech at the Second Minsk Conference on Eurasian Security on October 31, Aliaksandr Lukashenka said that there is a “new democratic trend” in the world – “scaring the heads of sovereign states with the International Criminal Court”. He expressed support for UN Secretary General António Guterres, who is being “attacked” for his “principled position” and his presence at the BRICS summit in Russia. He also warned Hungarian Prime Minister Szijjártó that he might be accused of traveling to Belarus. The politician said that “smart representatives of the civilized West” informed him of their readiness to negotiate a “draw” on Ukraine amid the current situation on the front. He once again tried to denounce the Americans and Volodymyr Zelensky, who, in his assessment, are ready to fight “to the last Ukrainian”, and called for negotiations, the basis for which could be a document agreed in the spring of 2022 after the meetings of the Russian and Ukrainian sides in Belarus and Turkey: “This is in the safe, forwarded to me by the Russians. Why doesn’t Ukraine sit down at the negotiating table and start with this document? Of course, it will not remain the same. And not only because Ukraine does not want it, because Russia will not want it either, but because, as I said, the situation on the ground has also changed. But why not start with that today? Ukraine will not win on the battlefield. Ukrainians realize this, thank God, and the West as well. So, we must move, we must negotiate”. He also insists that Minsk should be at the negotiating table, as it is “a question of guaranteeing security”. He said that the Belarusian authorities demand nothing more and are “ready to work in this direction,” but immediately laid out his conditions to the West. Among other things, he said that “in order to really defuse the situation and create conditions for dialogue, it is necessary to withdraw American nuclear weapons from the territory of Eurasian countries,” then “we will not stand aside,” apparently alluding to Russian TNWs deployed in Belarus. He also called for “eliminating the practice of applying illegal sanctions without decisions of the UN Security Council and creating an effective mechanism of international legal guarantees that would prevent the use of such a method of pressure”. According to Lukashenka, the U.S. warned him about the consequences of direct entry of Belarus into the war against Ukraine: “Recently I had to correspond through an intermediary with a high-ranking U.S. official. They were scaring us that if you, God forbid, help Russia and enter Ukraine through the north, if you do something there, we will impose such sanctions, we will start a war with you. I wrote to him: try it.” The dictator repeated his thesis, voiced earlier in an interview with the BBC, that allegedly Belarus did not provide Russia with its territory for entering Ukraine, while the Russian troops were leaving Belarus after the exercises and turned towards Kyiv “because of a provocation”. Lukashenka believes that Russia did not seize Kyiv only because “the Pope and the entire West” asked it not to do it, even though at that time “there were [Russian] troops on the outskirts of Kyiv” and Ukrainian generals allegedly called him and “asked him to contact Putin to stop the war and they would somehow surrender”.

On the margins of the above-mentioned conference, Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou complained that the West is closing itself off from Belarus and Russia with a wall, while the Western countries’ approaches to the citizens of both countries “border on genocide”.

On November 2, at the festival “Dazhynki-2024” in Masty, Lukashenka offered Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to build relations “neighborly”, but at the same minute he started threatening: “If you don’t want to, don’t. We will find other countries with which we will develop cooperation. But if we leave you, you will never come to us again.” He also called it “complete nonsense” to suggest that Russia might attack Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine through Belarus.

Best regards,
iSANS team