Belarus

Since 1994, Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ruled Belarus without a serious challenger. Then came the August 2020 presidential election, when opposition candidates proved more viable than ever before amid the country’s poor economic performance and mismanaged coronavirus response. Widespread protests and serious fraud allegations have marred Lukashenka’s claimed election victory. The opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has fled the country, raising questions about whether the protest movement will endure and whether Lukashenka will manage to stay in power for his new term. The future of Belarus now hinges on what its people and its strongman do next.

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A conversation with leader of the democratic opposition in Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

What can officials in the United States do to support the democratic movement in Belarus in the face of continuing repression and state terror from Lukashenka’s regime? Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the democratic opposition in Belarus, joins live from the Atlantic Council to discuss.

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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?

Russian War Report: Russia promotes misleading video accusing Ukraine of using mannequins as casualties

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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Russian War Report: Russia promotes misleading video accusing Ukraine of using mannequins as casualties

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
Russian War Report: Russia promotes misleading video accusing Ukraine of using mannequins as casualties

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

Content

Rossiya TV video claiming to show Ukrainians dressing mannequins actually originated from behind-the-scenes footage of a Russian TV series. (Source: Rossiya TV)

New Atlanticist

Apr 13, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia promotes misleading video accusing Ukraine of using mannequins as casualties

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Kremlin-controlled TV network Rossiya 24 broadcast a misleading video claiming that mannequins were being used in Ukraine to stage war casualties.

Belarus Disinformation
Content moderator

New Atlanticist

Apr 11, 2022

Russian War Report: Facebook takes down inauthentic networks targeting Ukraine

By DFRLab

Facebook removed an online Russian and Belarusian network targeting Ukrainians named Ghostwriter while more Russian Twitter accounts turn to VK and Telegram.

Belarus Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Apr 8, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia makes false claims while blaming Ukraine for Kramatorsk railway station attack

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

After missiles struck near Kramatorsk, Ukraine railway station, Russia tried to blame Ukraine for attacking its own people, a narrative pro-Kremlin media ran with.

Belarus Disinformation
France, Paris, 2022-03-05. Paris demonstration in support of Ukraine, place de la Republique. Ukrainian, Georgian and European flags are flying in the wind. Photography by Sandrine Marty / Hans Lucas. France, Paris, 2022-03-05. Manifestation parisienne de soutien a l Ukraine, Place de la Republique. Les drapeaux Ukrainien, georgiens et europeen flottent au vent. Photographie par Sandrine Marty / Hans Lucas.

New Atlanticist

Apr 6, 2022

Russian War Report: Ukraine accuses Georgia of allowing Russian smuggling through its territory

By DFRLab

Ukraine has accused Georgia of facilitating Russian smuggling out of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Alexei Navalny calls for Kremlin propaganda to be treated as a war crime.

Belarus Disinformation

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
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks as he is surrounded by Ukrainian servicemen as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Bucha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

New Atlanticist

Apr 4, 2022

Russian War Report: Kremlin claims Bucha massacre was staged by Ukraine

By DFRLab

Civilians have been found dead, many with their hands bound and simply left on the street, in Bucha. Despite the evidence, the Kremlin is trying to cover it up through disinformation and confusion.

Belarus Disinformation
An eyewitness captures video of military helicopters approaching Belgorod, Russia. (Source: @UAWeapons/archive)

New Atlanticist

Apr 1, 2022

Russian War Report: Videos appear to show missiles striking Russian oil depot

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Video surfaced showing a possible attack on a Russian oil depot in Belgorod. Elsewhere, a Russian official threatened Azerbaijan with nukes.

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
A Russian tank spotted in southern Belarus. (Source: @tendar/euroradio)

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2022

Russian War Report: Contradictory reports of Russian vehicles returning to Belarus

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russian forces seen returning to Belarus, Telegram channels undermining peace talks with Ukraine, and how Russians continue using banned social media.

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
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Experts

Staff

Nika Aleksejeva

Resident Fellow, Baltics

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Disinformation

Fellow

Michael Carpenter

Distinguished Fellow

Eurasia Center Europe Center

Eastern Europe National Security
Melinda Haring

Fellow

Melinda Haring

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center

Ukraine Civil Society

Staff

John E. Herbst

Senior Director

Eurasia Center

Ukraine Politics & Diplomacy

Staff

Daniel Hojnacki

Assistant Editor

Belarus Central Asia

Fellow

Adrian Karatnycky

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center

Ukraine Democratic Transitions
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