EDITOR’S PICKS

Bizarre Belarus “coup plot” has all the hallmarks of a classic Kremlin drama

BelarusAlert May 10, 2022

Belarus has good reason for concern over Putin’s nuclear intimidation

By Steven Pifer

Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could go nuclear. If Vladmir Putin deploys nuclear weapons there is reason to believe that Belarus itself would soon be in the firing line.
Belarus Conflict
Bizarre Belarus “coup plot” has all the hallmarks of a classic Kremlin drama

BelarusAlert May 31, 2022

From White Russia to Belarus: Norway snubs Kremlin with name change

By Peter Dickinson

Norway has announced that it will now use the name “Belarus” instead of “Hviterussland” (literally “White Russia”) in a move reflecting growing awareness that Belarus should not be viewed through a Russian lens.
Belarus Democratic Transitions
Bizarre Belarus “coup plot” has all the hallmarks of a classic Kremlin drama

BelarusAlert May 17, 2022

Putin’s only friend: Belarus is Russia’s last remaining post-Soviet ally

By Brian Whitmore

The recent CSTO summit in Moscow highlighted Russia’s lack of support even within the former Soviet region while underlining Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s status as Vladimir Putin’s last remaining ally.
Belarus Central Asia

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BelarusAlert

Nov 23, 2021

Lukashenka, Putin, and the art of geopolitical extortion

By Brian Whitmore

The Putin-Lukashenka axis of autocrats is engaging in repeated acts of geopolitical extortion. Rewarding this with phone calls, summits, and concessions will only encourage more dangerous behavior.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Nov 17, 2021

Belarus border crisis: Putin acts as Lukashenka’s willing enabler

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s manufactured migrant crisis on the EU border is entirely in step with the hybrid war against the Western world being waged by his sole international patron, Vladimir Putin.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Nov 15, 2021

Belarus dictator turns hybrid war into humanitarian crisis

By Alesia Rudnik

By weaponizing migrants in his hybrid war against the European Union, Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has created an escalating humanitarian crisis on his country’s border with Poland.

Belarus European Union

BelarusAlert

Nov 14, 2021

Belarus border crisis marks dangerous escalation in Putin’s hybrid war

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

As tensions on the EU border with Belarus escalate, Europe is waking up to the fact that the man responsible for the crisis is not Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka but his patron Vladimir Putin.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Nov 10, 2021

Gangster tactics: Poland accuses Putin of masterminding Belarus border crisis

By Brian Whitmore

As the crisis on the EU’s eastern border with Belarus continues to escalate, Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of masterminding the plot to weaponize illegal migrants.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Nov 9, 2021

Belarus border crisis: Lukashenka weaponizes human misery

By Daniel Fried, Michal Baranowski, Ben Judah

Kremlin-backed Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has weaponized migrants from across the Middle East and is using them to create a border crisis in his escalating hybrid war against the EU.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Nov 3, 2021

Is Lukashenka mimicking Putin’s weaponization of organized crime?

By Brian Whitmore

As he becomes more and more dependent on the Kremlin, is Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka now also adopting the Putin regime’s practice of using organized crime as an instrument of statecraft?

Belarus Cybersecurity

BelarusAlert

Oct 27, 2021

Has Lukashenka’s anti-NATO gambit paid off with Putin?

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s decision to abandon years of geopolitical neutrality and join Vladimir Putin’s hybrid war against the West may have succeeded in convincing the Kremlin to keep him in position.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Oct 24, 2021

Maria of Minsk

By Melinda Haring

Imprisoned activist Maria Kalesnikava did not seek a career in politics but since the outbreak of anti-regime protests in Belarus she has become a source of inspiration for the country’s pro-democracy movement.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Oct 20, 2021

Are Belarus and Russia using migrant crisis to smuggle agents into Europe?

By Brian Whitmore

Elements of a new Iron Curtain are appearing along Belarus’s border with the EU and officials are growing concerned that Putin and Lukashenka may be using the migrant crisis to smuggle agents into Europe.

Belarus European Union
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spotlight

Belarus

Belarus’ August 2020 presidential election saw widespread protests and serious fraud allegations as President Lukashenka claimed victory against popular opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Will Belarus begin its transition to democracy, or will Belarusians face further repression as Lukashenka’s rule falters?

Bizarre Belarus “coup plot” has all the hallmarks of a classic Kremlin drama

UkraineAlert Aug 13, 2024

Belarus’s political prisoners must not be forgotten

New sanctions unveiled in August have highlighted the plight of Belarus’s approximately 1,400 political prisoners, but much more must be done to increase pressure on the Lukashenka regime, writes Hanna Liubakova.

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Bizarre Belarus “coup plot” has all the hallmarks of a classic Kremlin drama

UkraineAlert Jul 25, 2024

The West should articulate the possibility of a European future for Belarus now

By Richard Cashman

Failure to articulate the possibility of a European future for Belarus leaves the Euro-Atlantic community at risk of being caught off guard without a plan when Belarus reaches its fork in the road, writes Richard Cashman.
Belarus Conflict
Bizarre Belarus “coup plot” has all the hallmarks of a classic Kremlin drama

UkraineAlert Jul 16, 2024

I was sentenced to ten years in absentia for highlighting Belarus’s descent into dictatorship

By Alesia Rudnik

My recent ten-year sentence in absentia is a sure sign that Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is increasingly insecure and dependent on the Kremlin, writes Alesia Rudnik.
Belarus Civil Society

The views expressed in BelarusAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

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BelarusAlert

Apr 21, 2021

Bizarre Belarus “coup plot” has all the hallmarks of a classic Kremlin drama

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka's recent claim that he was the target of a US-backed coup may be more than just the latest in a series of conspiratorial rants by the increasingly beleaguered dictator.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Apr 14, 2021

Belarus is the new front in Putin’s war against Ukraine

By Brian Whitmore

Fears are growing that the rapidly expanding Russian military presence in Belarus will help transform the country into a new front in the Kremlin's war against Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Apr 7, 2021

The battle for Belarus: Russified regime faces Westernizing society

By Brian Whitmore

As the Russification of the Belarusian state unfolds, a very different dynamic is developing in Belarusian civil society: ordinary Belarusians are distancing themselves from Russia and embracing the West.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Mar 31, 2021

Soft annexation: Inside the Russian takeover of Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

Russia is slowly but steadily achieving the "soft annexation" of Belarus via a series of political, economic, and military measures that will assure the Kremlin of dominance over its small western neighbor.

Belarus Politics & Diplomacy

BelarusAlert

Mar 24, 2021

Moscow’s man in Minsk

By Brian Whitmore

As Belarus braced for a fresh round of anti-regime protests, the Kremlin has been busy laying the groundwork to tighten its grip on Russia's far smaller but strategically important western neighbor.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Mar 17, 2021

How do you sanction a problem like Lukashenka?

By Brian Whitmore

The West is looking to increase sanctions against Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka but must also tread carefully to avoid creating opportunities for Russia to expand its geopolitical influence.

Belarus Economic Sanctions

BelarusAlert

Mar 16, 2021

Belarus human rights crisis: Concerns grow for political prisoners

By Vladislav Davidzon

Human rights concerns are mounting over the plight of hundreds of Belarusians currently being held on politically motivated charges by the regime of dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Mar 15, 2021

Fears mount as jailed Belarusian blogger resumes hunger strike

By Hanna Liubakova

Jailed Belarusian blogger Ihar Losik began a new hunger strike on March 11. He is one of hundreds of Belarusians that the Lukashenka regime is accused of holding on politically motivated charges.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Mar 10, 2021

Putin’s stealth takeover of Belarus gains momentum

By Brian Whitmore

As the Belarus crisis enters its seventh month, the strategy of Vladimir Putin's regime is coming into clearer focus: leverage the unrest to secure Moscow's long-term dominance over the country.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Mar 10, 2021

Belarus opposition leader calls on West to get tough

By Vladislav Davidzon

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is calling on Western governments to adopt a far tougher stance towards dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka in order to bring his 26-year reign to an end.

Belarus Democratic Transitions
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