EDITOR’S PICKS

Putin’s willing provocateur: Lukashenka escalates EU border crisis

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
Putin’s willing provocateur: Lukashenka escalates EU border crisis

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
Putin’s willing provocateur: Lukashenka escalates EU border crisis

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

LATEST ANALYSIS

BelarusAlert

Feb 23, 2022

Belarus joins Putin’s new Russian empire

By Brian Whitmore

Vladimir Putin appears to have succeeded in the unofficial annexation of neighboring Belarus with news that Russian troops deployed ostensibly for military exercises will now remain in the country indefinitely.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Feb 21, 2022

Strengthening Belarus identity could complicate Putin’s soft annexation

By Alesia Rudnik

A strengthening sense of national identity in Belarus poses potential challenges for Russian President Vladimir Putin as he seeks to complete what many see as the unofficial annexation of the neighboring country.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Feb 16, 2022

NATO allies fear Putin’s Belarus military build-up will be permanent

By Brian Whitmore

At the moment all eyes are on the Ukrainian border. But regardless of how Vladimir Putin’s manufactured crisis in Ukraine ends, the threat to NATO’s eastern flank from Russia’s growing military presence in Belarus will remain.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Feb 9, 2022

Soviet Reunion: Belarus, Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s dreams of empire

By Brian Whitmore

Ukraine and Belarus are the first targets in Putin’s quest to revive the old empire. While the world watches Russia’s brinkmanship against Ukraine, Moscow is swiftly and quietly completing the takeover of Belarus.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Feb 7, 2022

Belarus emerges as key front in Putin’s war against Ukraine and the West

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

With tens of thousands of Russian troops currently deployed in Belarus, fears are mounting that the country could serve as a springboard for Vladimir Putin’s threatened full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Feb 2, 2022

While the world watches Ukraine, Putin is quietly occupying Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

As the world watches for a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is quietly occupying neighboring Belarus and dramatically altering the Eastern European security balance in Moscow’s favor.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Jan 26, 2022

Cyber partisans target Russian army in Belarus amid Ukraine war fears

By Peter Dickinson

A group of cyber activists known as the Belarusian Cyber-Partisans hacked into the Belarusian railway computer system this week in a bid to sabotage the deployment of Russian military units in the country.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Jan 26, 2022

Belarus joins Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine and the West

By Brian Whitmore

If Russia proceeds with its threatened full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is increasingly clear that Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka will also need to be viewed as a full combatant in Putin’s war.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Jan 23, 2022

Belarus pro-democracy opposition plans to target sham referendum

By Alesia Rudnik

Belarus will hold a referendum on February 27 over proposed constitutional changes. The vote may provide the country’s embattled pro-democracy opposition with a welcome opportunity to regroup and mobilize.

Belarus Civil Society

BelarusAlert

Jan 19, 2022

Ukraine faces mounting encirclement as Russian troops enter Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

From military deployments to cyber attacks, Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s Belarus is now clearly a full participant in Vladimir Putin’s escalating campaign against Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict
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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?

Putin’s willing provocateur: Lukashenka escalates EU border crisis

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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Putin’s willing provocateur: Lukashenka escalates EU border crisis

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
Putin’s willing provocateur: Lukashenka escalates EU border crisis

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

Oct 13, 2021

Putin’s willing provocateur: Lukashenka escalates EU border crisis

By Brian Whitmore

Shots were fired at the Belarusian-Polish border last week as Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's hybrid war against the European Union threatened to escalate further amid the weaponization of migrants.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Oct 13, 2021

How sustainable is the Belarusian economy?

By Anders Åslund

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka faces mounting sanctions pressure but the Soviet-style Belarusian economy will likely prove sustainable unless the West focuses pressure on Lukashenka's Russian enablers.

Belarus Economic Sanctions

BelarusAlert

Oct 6, 2021

West seeks new ways to hold Belarus dictator Lukashenka accountable

By Brian Whitmore

US and EU leaders are exploring new options as they seek to hold Kremlin-backed Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka accountable for his increasingly brazen violations of international norms.

Belarus Economic Sanctions

BelarusAlert

Sep 30, 2021

Want to assess Ukraine’s progress? Look at Belarus

By Vitaliy Sych

Perhaps the best way to gauge Ukraine's post-Soviet progress is to compare the country's media freedoms and fledgling democracy with the authoritarian environment in neighboring Belarus and Russia.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Sep 29, 2021

Lukashenka vs. Ukraine

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has accused NATO of establishing military bases in Ukraine and has vowed to respond together with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Sep 23, 2021

No regrets: One Woman in White’s story from exile

By Melinda Haring

Anastasia Kostyugova is one of the hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who have fled their country since 2020. “My mother is in prison. I’m in exile. I didn’t expect this. We didn’t understand the value of human rights and democracy,” Kostyugova affirms.

Belarus Resilience & Society

BelarusAlert

Sep 22, 2021

Russia fears the Belarusization of Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

Moscow commentators are alarmed by signs of strengthening national identity in Belarus and warn that "Belarusization" could lead to a decline in Russian influence, much as it has done in nearby Ukraine.

Belarus Resilience & Society

BelarusAlert

Sep 15, 2021

Russian-Belarusian military merger accelerates on NATO’s eastern flank

By Brian Whitmore

The accelerating military merger between Russia and Belarus is dramatically altering the regional security equation and creating an authoritarian army on the European Union's eastern frontier.

Belarus Russia

BelarusAlert

Sep 14, 2021

Belarus dictator poses growing threat to Ukraine

By Lisa Yasko

Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's growing dependence on the Kremlin is allowing Vladimir Putin to expand his military presence in Belarus and creating a new front in Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Sep 8, 2021

Belarus and Europe’s new Iron Curtain

By Brian Whitmore

Kremlin-backed Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's weaponization of illegal migration has forced neighboring EU members to introduce tougher border restrictions and led to talk of a new Iron Curtain.

Belarus European Union
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