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.

Featured Event

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.

Watch

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?

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

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.

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

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

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

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

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2022

Russian War Report: Additional units from Georgian breakaway regions join Russian offensive

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Soldiers from the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia are confirmed to be providing military support for Russian forces in Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict
Russian “evidence” that Ukraine intends to invade Crimea, including linguistic and cultural clues suggesting they were made in Russia. (Source: Telegram)

New Atlanticist

Mar 25, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia produces “evidence” claiming Ukraine will attack Crimea

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

A pro-Kremlin Telegram channel published suspect photos of alleged medals and certificates to reward Ukranian troops for recapturing Crimea.

Belarus Conflict

In the News

Mar 24, 2022

Slavin quoted in CGTN on the Russia-Ukraine conflict’s potential to impact Iran nuclear talks

By Atlantic Council

Belarus Crisis Management
Russian State Duma member Sergey Leonov speaks at a press conference in Moscow, March 22, 2022. (Source: DumaTV)

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2022

Russian War Report: Russian Duma members falsely claim Ukraine is creating ethnicity-targeting bioweapons

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Members of the Russian Duma accused Ukraine and the US of creating bioweapons and researching "regional infections aimed at Russian regions."

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
Instagram logo displayed on a phone screen and Russian flag displayed on a screen in the background are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on March 14, 2022 (Photo illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto)NO USE FRANCE

New Atlanticist

Mar 21, 2022

Russian War Report: Meta officially declared “extremist organization” in Russia

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russia labeled Meta an "extremist organization," VKontakte got hacked, railways were sabotaged, and the Kremlin put on a concert to support the "military operation."

Belarus Conflict

The 5×5

Mar 21, 2022

The 5×5—Russia’s cyber statecraft

By Simon Handler

Five experts share their perspectives on what recent cyber developments related to Russia's war in Ukraine indicate about Russian cyber behavior.

Belarus Conflict
Servicemen of the military forces of South Ossetia attend an oath of allegiance ceremony in Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, Georgia, July 5, 2015.

New Atlanticist

Mar 18, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia sends military contractors from Georgian breakaway region to Ukraine

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Military contractors from South Ossetia, Belarus' hesitancy to send troops, VPN's, the dilemma US tech companies face over Russian citizens' access, and more.

Belarus China

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
Load More

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
Load More