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 Hybrid Threats Report: Military camps close in on border as Kremlin accelerates false-flag narratives

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 Hybrid Threats Report: Military camps close in on border as Kremlin accelerates false-flag narratives

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 Hybrid Threats Report: Military camps close in on border as Kremlin accelerates false-flag narratives

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

New Atlanticist

Feb 15, 2022

Russian Hybrid Threats Report: Military camps close in on border as Kremlin accelerates false-flag narratives

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

While the Kremlin announced that some units have begun loading equipment onto trains to return to their bases, the DFRLab continues to observe other units positioning themselves closer to Ukraine's northeast border with Russia.

Belarus Conflict

New Atlanticist

Feb 11, 2022

Russia’s joint exercise with Belarus reveals what a Ukraine invasion would look like

By Tyson Wetzel

Although Union Courage '22 has only just begun, it is clear that Russia is focusing on air superiority, close air support, long-range fires, intelligence collection, and combat sustainment.

Belarus Conflict

New Atlanticist

Feb 11, 2022

Russian Hybrid Threats Report: Belarus threatens to arm firefighters as military exercises kick off

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

The Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab tracks the latest Russian troop movements and Kremlin-pushed narratives around NATO, Germany, and more.

Belarus Conflict

New Atlanticist

Feb 9, 2022

Russia Crisis Military Assessment: What would a ground offensive against Ukraine look like? Watch the skies.

By Atlantic Council military fellows

Our military experts analyze the greatest defense and security challenges facing the United States and its allies and partners.

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

New Atlanticist

Feb 8, 2022

Russian Hybrid Threats Report: New evidence of accelerated military build-up near Ukraine

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

The Council’s open-source researchers reveal the latest Russian troop, aircraft, and weapons movements around Ukraine, along with new Kremlin disinformation efforts. 

Belarus Russia

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

EconoGraphics

Feb 6, 2022

Global Sanctions Dashboard: Groundhog edition

By Julia Friedlander, Michael Albanese, Maia Nikoladze and Castellum.AI

Who sanctions Russia and why, Colombia’s narcotics trafficking, Iran’s balancing act, and Chinese military sanctions.

Belarus China

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

New Atlanticist

Feb 1, 2022

Russian Hybrid Threats Report: Will Moscow provide weapons and passports to breakaway Ukrainian regions?

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

The Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab is tracking the latest on Russia moving blood and food supplies to the front, narratives in Kremlin-tied media, and more.

Belarus Conflict
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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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