Stories about Belarus
Poland plans to close the last border crossings with Belarus as migrant crisis continues
‘Like in Finland, the talk in Poland is of instrumentalized migration driven by a hostile foreign state, not of the humanitarian needs of those on the move.’
Azerbaijan's President Aliyev cozies up to authoritarian leaders
In all of these cases, Azerbaijani government and its leadership got away with its dubious financial transactions and deals all the while, building new friendships and cracking down on freedoms.
Exiled Russian journalist scores interview with Moldovan president
Like many other opposition figures and media outlets, Yurii Dud is a Russian journalist who continues his work in exile.
Israel's war on Gaza takes center stage at Eurovision 2024
While the annual Eurovision Song Contest is supposed to be a fun, apolitical event, organizer's decision to allow Israel to participate is drawing controversy and boycotts.
38 years after Chernobyl disaster, 12% of Belarus's territory is still contaminated
The state media reports on the success of Belarusian state-sponsored Chernobyl program that deals with economic, social and environmental consequences of the disaster, but many are skeptical about it
The song about Belarusian migrants, ‘Can I Come with You,’ has become an anthem for homeless animals. Where did it come from?
The song "Can I Come with You" has gone viral on Russian language TikTok: users of the social network are sharing stories about homeless animals set to the song.
Belarusians returning home from immigration receive criminal charges
Human rights defenders say that despite the "agreements," criminal cases were initiated against people who believed the authorities and returned to Belarus.
Members of Belarusian band behind 2020 protest songs receive draconian sentences
"We are not cattle, cattle and cowards, we are a living people, we are Belarusians!" sang the Tor Band. Now their member are in prison with sentences up to nine years.
Apart from shadow deals, there are no visible results in Belarus-Zimbabwe economic relations
In spite of various visits and signed contracts, nothing substantial had happened in Zimbabwe - Belarus economic relations after Belarusian's leader visit to Zimbabwe in January 2023, when he promised groundbreaking results.
Without the ability to renew their passports abroad, Belarusians in exile are left in limbo
Belarusian leader Lukashenka signed a decree saying Belarusians living abroad will not be able to renew their passports at consulates abroad.
The West’s Belarus policy: Does it make sense?
By damaging Belarus’s ability to act on its own and not achieving any positive results, the blockade of Belarus by its Western neighbors has been manifestly counterproductive, leading to excessive dependency on Russia
What a country at war can look like: A journey across Ukraine in photos
Life is flourishing in Ukraine but subtle signs and reminders of the full-scale war can be seen and felt even in the places most distant from the actual frontline.
The Belarus regime’s crackdown on civil society continues
The number of political prisoners in Belarus continues to rise; by the end of June, there were 1,496 individuals languishing behind bars on politically-motivated charges.
‘People in Belarus live in constant terror, fearing a system that can arbitrarily target anyone’
"Our human rights work in Belarus involves direct action. We engage in activities such as collecting resources, learning to purchase necessary items and communicating with the families of political prisoners."
Can poetry in translation reimagine a free Belarusian–Ukrainian bridge?
Belarus is a victim of and a tool for Russia in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Can poetry and translation establish a fragile bridge between Ukraine and free Belarusians?
#FramedinBelarus: An art group makes embroidery depicting the stories of political prisoners
The project aims to create portraits of each illegally convicted citizen in Belarus (political prisoners) using the traditional Belarusian embroidery technique of red thread on a white background
The long 1980s: Belarusian dark wave band Molchat Doma takes its music to the US
"Even though the band hasn’t felt safe declaring their political views directly, their music seems like an oblique commentary on the persistence of totalitarianism."
Ways of punishing dissent in Lukashenka’s Belarus
The regime of Belarusian dictator Lukashenka continues to repress Belarusians in many ways, some of them unheard of since Soviet totalitarianism.
People fleeing from Russia: ‘We were deprived of “home” too’
Valeria considers her story banal: “I left Russia because I can’t and don’t want to be silent, and I don’t want to go to jail for this either.”
Belarusian Westernizers: Their debacle and perpetual bewilderment
Grigory Ioffe writes about the growing rupture between the new Belarusian diaspora and those who remain in the country, as well as the hopeless plight of Belarusian political prisoners.
There are almost 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus
The main tools for repressing critics of the regime and dissidents in Belarus are still criminal and administrative prosecution, arbitrary arrests, dismissals from work and de facto deportations
