Vasil Verameichyk, a former soldier of the Kalinouski Regiment fighting on Ukraine's side, was extradited from Vietnam to Belarus last week, the independent Belarusian outlet Zerkalo reported on Nov. 20. Verameichyk now faces imprisonment, as the Kalinouski Regiment was recently declared a terrorist organization by the Supreme Court of Belarus. The Belarusian regime under dictator […]
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the most prominent Belarusian opposition leader, discussed efforts to maintain relations with Ukrainian authorities in a European Pravda interview published on Dec. 10. Tsikhanouskaya told European Pravda that the United Democratic Forces parliamentary group has been able to establish good contact and relations with Ukrainian leaders, and while the result has not been […]
On Dec. 16, the Council of the EU adopted restrictive measures against 26 individuals and two companies linked to the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. The sanctions target judges who sentenced opposition figures, law enforcement officials involved in persecuting dissidents, and heads of penitentiaries where political prisoners are held. Additionally, the measures apply to […]
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 30 years, is looking to reelect himself for the seventh time. In the run-up to the January 2025 presidential elections, Lukashenko has pardoned prisoners convicted of extremism, claiming that it was a "humane gesture" toward those who had "gone astray." Far from being criminals, those […]
Maria Zaitseva, a 24-year-old Belarusian volunteer soldier fighting for Ukraine, was killed in action near the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 17, Nasha Niva reported. Zaitseva joined the Ukrainian army after the start of Russia's full-scale war and fought with the 2nd International Legion Battalion. She turned 24 on Jan. 16, a […]
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko freed 23 Belarusians convicted of "extremist crimes," his press office reported on Jan. 18. Lukashenko has pardoned political prisoners in rounds since July, a move that many see as an attempt to boost his approval rating ahead of the 2025 presidential election. However, political persecution continues in Belarus, according to human […]