EDITOR’S PICKS

The Putin Doctrine: Russia defends autocrats from Belarus to Kazakhstan

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
The Putin Doctrine: Russia defends autocrats from Belarus to Kazakhstan

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
The Putin Doctrine: Russia defends autocrats from Belarus to Kazakhstan

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?

The Putin Doctrine: Russia defends autocrats from Belarus to Kazakhstan

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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The Putin Doctrine: Russia defends autocrats from Belarus to Kazakhstan

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
The Putin Doctrine: Russia defends autocrats from Belarus to Kazakhstan

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.

The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia in the East.

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BelarusAlert

Jan 17, 2022

The Putin Doctrine: Russia defends autocrats from Belarus to Kazakhstan

By Victor Tregubov

The deployment of a Russia-led military mission to Kazakhstan in early January proved to be a short-lived affair. Nevertheless, it underlined Putin’s growing role as the world’s leading defender of authoritarianism.

Belarus Central Asia

BelarusAlert

Jan 12, 2022

Soviet reunion in the air as USSR centenary approaches

By Brian Whitmore

2022 will see the one hundredth anniversary of the USSR. The centenary comes at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly reasserting Moscow's influence across the former Soviet empire.

Belarus Central Asia

BelarusAlert

Jan 11, 2022

Belarus dictator prepares to extend reign via farcical referendum

By Hanna Liubakova

A Belarusian referendum on constitutional changes in early 2022 looks set to prolong the country's deep political crisis and strengthen Kremlin-backed dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s grip on power.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Jan 9, 2022

From Kazakhstan to Belarus, aftershocks of Soviet collapse continue

By Alesia Rudnik

The crisis is Kazakhstan is a reminder that more than thirty years since the USSR ceased to exist, the aftershocks of authoritarian empire continue to shape the geopolitical landscape from Minsk to Almaty.

Belarus Central Asia

BelarusAlert

Jan 5, 2022

Putin’s pick for Belarus ambassador reveals Russia’s imperial agenda

By Brian Whitmore

This year marks the centenary of the USSR. The appointment of heavyweight figure Gryzlov as Moscow's envoy to Belarus suggests Putin intends to mark this anniversary by putting the old empire back together again.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Dec 22, 2021

Putin’s nuclear blackmail in Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

The prospect of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is very real, and arguably very likely. And the prospect of Russian nuclear weapons in Alyaksandr Lukashenka's Belarus also no longer seems far-fetched.

Arms Control Belarus

BelarusAlert

Dec 21, 2021

Documentary captures dramatic fight for democracy in Belarus

By Diane Francis

Powerful documentary film “Courage” aptly portrays the ongoing tragedy of Belarus and the recent attempt by its people to overthrow their repressive dictatorship and embrace a more democratic form of government.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Dec 15, 2021

Belarus joins Vladimir Putin’s Russia behind Europe’s new Iron Curtain

By Brian Whitmore

Europe’s new Iron Curtain runs along the western frontiers of Russia and Belarus. Over the past year, Putin has successfully solidified Moscow's dominance over Belarus. The Kremlin leader now appears determined to subdue Ukraine by force.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Dec 8, 2021

Belarus, Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin’s expanding imperial agenda

By Brian Whitmore

It would be a mistake to view the 16-month-old political crisis in Belarus and Russia's brinkmanship on the Ukrainian border as separate affairs. They are both part and parcel of Putin's post-Soviet imperial agenda.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Dec 1, 2021

Putin’s little helper: Belarus dictator opens second front against Ukraine

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has declared his readiness to join Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine as Russian and Belarusian forces prepare to conduct joint military exercises along the Ukrainian border.

Belarus Conflict
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