Latest Alexander Lukashenko News
Belarus' leader pardons woman arrested with her dissident journalist boyfriend in plane incident
The president of Belarus has pardoned the girlfriend of a dissident journalist arrested in 2021 after being pulled off a commercial flight that was diverted to the country, a Russian governor reported Wednesday. President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree freeing Sofia Sapega,...
Poland, Lithuania fear new migrant crisis due to Belarus' offer of visa-free travel
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus is introducing a visa-free travel arrangement with dozens of countries for a month, raising fears that neighboring Poland and Lithuania might see a sudden increase in unauthorized migration. The authoritarian president of Belarus, Alexander...
Belarus has no immediate plans to adopt Russian currency, its strongman leader Lukashenko says
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus and Russia have no plans to adopt a joint currency in the near future, Belarus’ strongman leader announced on Monday. Speaking at a meeting with the head of Russia’s central bank, Alexander Lukashenko said that introducing the Russian ruble in...
Belarus upholds 8-year prison sentence for journalist of top Polish newspaper
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus' Supreme Court on Friday upheld an eight-year prison sentence handed to a prominent member of the country’s sizable Polish minority and a correspondent for a top newspaper in Poland. The decision is seen part of the government's sweeping, year's...
Russia signs deal to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russia and Belarus signed a deal Thursday formalizing the deployment of Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its ally, although control of the weapons remains in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the deployment of the...
Were Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Belarus? Ukraine's top prosecutor is investigating
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's prosecutor-general says it's investigating the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus, adding to allegations that Russia is also transferring them to its territory. Ukrainian law enforcement officers said they are investigating the...
Nobel peace laureate transferred to brutal prison in Belarus, his wife says
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski has been transferred to a notoriously brutal prison in Belarus and hasn't been heard from in a month, his wife said Wednesday. Natalia Pinchuk told The Associated Press that Bialiatski, who is serving a 10-year...
Belarus opposition group urges EU to maintain sanctions on Belarus state companies
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A member of the Belarus opposition movement urged the European Union on Monday to keep sanctions against a Belarusian state fertilizer producer, warning that lifting them would generate a $1.5 billion windfall for Alexander Lukashenko's regime as it supports Russia’s war...
Belarusian dissident who was pulled off forced-down plane says he has been pardoned
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The Belarusian state news agency on Monday reported that a dissident journalist who was pulled off a flight that was forced to land in the country and was later sentenced to eight years in prison says he has received a presidential pardon. "I literally just...
Photos, video of Belarus leader emerge after days of absences that sparked health rumors
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — For nearly a week, the whereabouts of Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko have been a mystery. The 68-year-old was seen at a May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square, looking pale and bloated, and he skipped a celebratory breakfast...
