EDITOR’S PICKS

Protest mood spreads from Belarus to Russia as calls grow for post-Soviet change

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
Protest mood spreads from Belarus to Russia as calls grow for post-Soviet change

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
Protest mood spreads from Belarus to Russia as calls grow for post-Soviet change

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

Apr 20, 2022

Ukraine reveals Russian military plans for “full-scale invasion of Belarus”

By Brian Whitmore

With Belarusians uneasy over their country’s role in Putin’s Ukraine War, Moscow may revive earlier plans for the military takeover of Belarus if growing anti-war sentiment threatens to undermine Russian influence.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Apr 13, 2022

Putin’s Ukraine War: Belarus dictator switches from arsonist to firefighter

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is trying to change his role in Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine War from that of arsonist to firefighter as Belarusian public opinion firmly opposes any involvement in the conflict.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Apr 6, 2022

Belarusian railway rebellion disrupts Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine War

By Brian Whitmore

Railway workers in Belarus are staging a quiet rebellion against the country’s supporting role in Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine War and are creating headaches for Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Mar 30, 2022

Hundreds of Belarusians join Ukraine’s fight against Russian imperialism

By Brian Whitmore

Hundreds of Belarusians have volunteered to fight for Ukraine in the war against Putin’s Russia as anti-imperial forces across the former USSR seek to shake off authoritarian Kremlin influence.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Mar 29, 2022

Deep unease in Belarus over country’s role in Russian invasion of Ukraine

By Alesia Rudnik

Vladimir Putin is pushing Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to join the invasion of Ukraine, but the war is deeply unpopular among Belarusians who fear direct participation will have catastrophic consequences.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Mar 29, 2022

Belarus dictator under pressure to join Vladimir Putin’s failing Ukraine War

By Hanna Liubakova

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is coming under increasing pressure to join Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine War but there is no guarantee that unenthusiastic Belarusian troops will follow orders to invade.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Mar 22, 2022

Belarusians are sabotaging plans to join Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine War

By Brian Whitmore

As Vladimir Putin pressures Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to join Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ordinary Belarusians are taking action to sabotage the war effort and prevent Russian troops from reaching Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Mar 16, 2022

Ukrainian military successes force Belarus to rethink role in Putin’s war

By Brian Whitmore

The fierce Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s invasion is getting inside the heads of Belarusian military leaders and causing them to question the wisdom of joining Vladimir Putin’s war.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Mar 9, 2022

Belarusian military reluctant to join Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine War

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus was widely expected to join the Russian invasion of Ukraine but indications are growing that the Belarusian military is strongly opposed to any involvement in Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Mar 2, 2022

Putin’s Ukraine War fuels protest mood in Russia and Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has sparked the biggest European conflict since WWII and is now fueling a growing anti-war protest mood in both Russia and Belarus.

Belarus Civil Society
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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?

Protest mood spreads from Belarus to Russia as calls grow for post-Soviet change

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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Protest mood spreads from Belarus to Russia as calls grow for post-Soviet change

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
Protest mood spreads from Belarus to Russia as calls grow for post-Soviet change

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

Jan 27, 2021

Protest mood spreads from Belarus to Russia as calls grow for post-Soviet change

By Brian Whitmore

As Russians took to the streets across eleven time zones on January 23 to protest the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, many of them also had protests in neighboring Belarus on their minds.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Jan 20, 2021

Can stalling tactics save the wily Belarusian dictator?

By Vladislav Davidzon

Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has sought to defuse protests against his regime by promising to step down following constitutional reform, but critics believe he is merely trying to buy time.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Jan 20, 2021

Belarus presents the West with an opportunity to be on the right side of history

By Brian Whitmore

In shunning dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka and embracing Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the opposition, the West is on the right side of history in Belarus. It must now make sure that it stays there.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Jan 13, 2021

Calls mount to strip Belarus dictator of right to host 2021 hockey world championship

By Doug Klain

Calls are mounting for Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to be stripped of the right to co-host the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship over the brutal suppression of pro-democracy protests.

Belarus Elections

BelarusAlert

Jan 13, 2021

Vladimir Putin has nothing but bad options in Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

Vladimir Putin knows his support for dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is poisoning attitudes towards Russia in neighboring Belarus, but he cannot allow a democratic uprising to succeed so close to home.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Jan 7, 2021

Is Russia preparing to replace Belarus dictator Lukashenka?

By Vladislav Davidzon

As Moscow works to create an advantageous outcome in Minsk, are there plans to replace Lukashenka with a pro-Kremlin movement of Belarusians?

Belarus Political Reform

BelarusAlert

Dec 21, 2020

Terror tactics fail to stop the rise of a democratic Belarus

By Hanna Liubakova

By seeking to subjugate his own population, dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is unwittingly pushing the Belarusian people away from the Soviet past and towards a democratic European future.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Dec 19, 2020

US poised to boost support for democracy in Belarus

By Vladislav Davidzon

Belarus looms large on the US foreign policy agenda for 2021. Senators can set the stage for the year ahead by passing the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights and Sovereignty Act of 2020.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Dec 18, 2020

How secure is Belarus dictator Lukashenka’s throne of bayonets?

By Vladislav Davidzon

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's political survival depends on the continued loyalty of his extensive security apparatus—but just how secure is this throne of bayonets?

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Dec 10, 2020

Russia in retreat as the Soviet collapse continues

By Peter Dickinson

Russia suffered a series of setbacks in its own neighborhood during 2020 that underlined the counterproductive nature of Moscow's imperial approach to the post-Soviet world.

Belarus Central Asia
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