Belarus

• July 24, 2025

  Brother Of Imprisoned RFE/RL Journalist Ihar Losik Escapes Belarus After Trial

  Mikita Losik, the younger brother of imprisoned Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist Ihar Losik, has fled Belarus after being sentenced to three years for "extremist activities" for sending photos of Russian military equipment to the Telegram channel "Belaruski Hajun."

• July 19, 2025

  Belarus's Military Budget Is Ballooning. That’s Got Its Neighbors Worried.

  Belarus’s spending on weaponry and other military expenditures has jumped significantly since 2022, when Russia launched its all-out assault on neighboring Ukraine. That’s worrying to Minsk’s neighbors.

• July 11, 2025

  'They Tried To Erase Me,' Freed Belarus Opposition Politician Tsikhanouski Says

  Released last month after five years behind bars in Belarus, opposition firebrand Syarhey Tsikhanouski told RFE/RL he will continue to push against Aleksandr Lukashenko's rule and fight for the release of political prisoners who remain behind bars.

• July 11, 2025

  Assessing Belarusian Opposition, Tsikhanouski Says Energy Of 2020 Movement Is Gone

  Syarhey Tsikhanouski was jailed in May 2020 while attempting to run for president against authoritarian Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko. Following his release from prison in June, he spoke with RFE/RL's Belarusian Service about the opposition movement in exile and the role he wants to play.

• July 02, 2025

  A Journalist In Jail: Freed Former RFE/RL Reporter Recalls Belarus Prison Ordeal

  Longtime former RFE/RL journalist Ihar Karnei was arrested in July 2023 after the KGB came to his home in Belarus. Freed in a US-brokered inmate release last month, he describes the “inhuman conditions” still faced by what rights activists say are nearly 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus.

• June 25, 2025

  5 Years Later, RFE/RL Journalist Losik Still Behind Bars On Charges Seen As Trumped Up

  With opposition voices rising before a presidential election in August 2020, Belarus leader Aleksandr Lukashenko began doing what threatened authoritarians do: rounding people up, especially those who had a voice or a platform. On June 25, 2020, RFE/RL Journalist Ihar Losik was one of them.

• June 21, 2025

  Former RFE/RL Reporter, Opposition Candidate Among Prisoners Freed By Belarus

  Belarus has released 14 prisoners in a deal reached with the cooperation of the Lithuanian government. Among them were Ihar Karnei, a former RFE/RL journalist who was arrested in 2023, and Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who was imprisoned while trying to run against Belarus's authoritarian leader.

• June 21, 2025

  Belarus Releases 14 Prisoners Including Opposition Politician Tsikhanouski, Journalist Karnei

  Belarus has released 14 prisoners, including  Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who was detained in May 2020 while attempting to run for president against authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko. 

• June 11, 2025

  Hundreds Of Russian Soldiers Treated In Belarusian Hospitals, Investigation Finds

  Hundreds of Russian soldiers wounded in the Ukraine war have been treated in Belarusian hospitals, including some from military units linked to alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

• May 27, 2025

  EU Boosts Its Defense And Targets Russian Fertilizers

  I'm RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, and this week I am drilling down on two issues: the EU’s attempt to ramp up its defense and the bloc finally hitting Russian fertilizers

• May 25, 2025

  Tsikhanouskaya Urges Baltic States Not To Close Belarus Border Despite Growing Migrant Pressure

  Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya urges Latvia and Lithuania to keep borders with Belarus open, warning that full closure could cut off escape routes for dissidents. She also highlights the plight of political prisoners and Minsk’s role in regional instability

• May 25, 2025

  Tsikhanouskaya Urges Baltic Nations To Keep Borders Open With Belarus

  Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called on Latvia and Lithuania to keep their borders open with neighboring Belarus.

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