German Man Sentenced to Death in Belarus Begs for Help on State TV

THE GUARDIAN: Rico Krieger admits role in Ukrainian plot and pleads for German chancellor to save him during broadcast

A German man sentenced to death in Belarus has appeared on state television in the country, in tears and begging the German government to intervene in his case.

“Mr Scholz, please, I am still alive … it is not yet too late,” said Rico Krieger, who was pictured handcuffed inside a cell, appealing to the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.

Authorities in Belarus, a dictatorial state where torture and politicised trials are rife, claim that Krieger, 30, travelled to the country last autumn on the orders of Ukrainian intelligence, with the goal of carrying out a terrorist attack on a railway line.

“This was the biggest mistake of my life. I admit my guilt, without a doubt,” said Krieger in a section of the interview where the original German was audible below a Russian-language voiceover translation. At several moments during the 17-minute television programme he broke down crying. » | Shaun Walker in Warsaw and Deborah Cole in Berlin | Friday, July 26, 2024

Belarus sentences German medic to death, activists say: A court in Belarus has sentenced a German medic to death after he was found guilty of charges related to terrorism and mercenary activity, rights activists have said. »

Putin spricht Klartext über Weißrussland | #shorts

Er läßt uns keinen Zweifel daran, was er darüber denkt!

British American Tobacco to End Sales in Russia within a Month

THE GUARDIAN: London-based company says it has agreed to sell Russian and Belarusian businesses, 18 months after initial decision to withdraw

British American Tobacco says it will sell its last cigarette in Russia within a month, ending its presence in the world’s fourth-largest tobacco market a year and a half after it first pledged to do so in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The London-based maker of Lucky Strike and Camel cigarettes came under fire in March last year after initially continuing to operate in Russia, breaking ranks with global brands such as Nestlé, Unilever, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.

The decision was reversed just two days later, with the company citing its “ethos and values”.

More than 18 months after that decision, BAT, which holds 25% of the Russian market, said it had finally reached an agreement to sell its Russian and Belarusian businesses to a group led by its Moscow management team. » | Rob Davies | Thursday, September 7, 2023

Warsaw Sends Troops to Border, Accusing Belarus of Violating Its Airspace

THE GUARDIAN: Polish military says army helicopters crossed eastern flank, adding to tensions caused by proximity of Wagner fighters

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, had already started moving forces to its border with Belarus before the incursion. Photograph: Carlos Osorio/Reuters
Poland has rushed troops to its eastern border after accusing Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, of violating its airspace with military helicopters.

The Belarusian military denied any such violation and accused Nato member Poland, one of Ukraine’s most fervent backers in its conflict with Russia, of making up the accusation to justify a buildup of its troops.

Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko had earlier taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near their joint border.

Poland’s defence ministry said it was sending “additional forces and resources, including combat helicopters”. It said it had informed Nato of the border violation and Belarus’s chargé d’affaires had been summoned to provide an explanation. » | Reuters in Warsaw | Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Putin Accuses Poland of Trying to Get Involved in Ukraine War | DW News

Kul 21, 2023 | After Poland reacted to the arrival of Wagner mercenary troops to Belarus by moving some of its troops to its eastern border, Russia's President Vladimir Putin accused Warsaw of trying to seize more land in eastern Europe.

Putin claimed there were press reports about forming a Polish-Lithuanian unit that would operate in western Ukraine. He also warned that any attack on Belarus, Moscow's sole ally in Europe, would be treated as an attack on Russia.

"It is well known that they also dream of the Belarusian lands," Putin said.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of Russia's Security Council, Putin said that Russia would respond "with all means at our disposal.

Lukashenko Says He Could Launch Russian Nuclear Weapons - BBC News

Jul 7, 2023 | The President of Belarus has suggested that he could use tactical nuclear weapons, which are being deployed in his country by Russia. Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his country served as a launchpad for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Recently President Putin announced that Russian nuclear weapons had been deployed in Belarus. He said they would only be used if the Russian state or its territory was threatened.

Speaking to the BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg, the Belarus President Lukashenko insisted that he could launch the weapons if he chose to. He said: “In Ukraine a whole army is fighting with foreign weapons, with NATO weapons. So why can’t I fight with someone else’s?” Mr Lukashenko also said that the leader of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin was in Russia. The Wagner leader hasn’t been seen since he staged a mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Steve Rosenberg in Minsk and Gordon Corera in Kyiv.

Will Wagner Pull Belarus into the War in Ukraine? Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Interview

Jun 28, 2023 | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition movement has told DW the presence of the Wagner group leader in her country is a threat to the security of Europe and Belarus' independence.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was speaking following the arrival of Yevgeny Prigozhin to Belarus after a deal was struck between the country's leader, Alexander Lukashenko, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Ms. Tsikhanouskaya told DW's Alexandra von Nahmen she's worried it could drag Belarus into the war in Ukraine.

She said: "Lukashenko is fully loyal to Putin, he will fulfill all the orders of Putin. And if let's imagine Putin gives Lukashenko the order to get rid of Prigozhin, he will do this."

The Belarusian opposition leader added that NATO should react to Russia transporting its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.


Guerre en Ukraine en direct : la présence du groupe Wagner en Biélorussie, « une menace » pour la région, juge le président polonais : « Difficile pour nous d’exclure que la présence du Groupe Wagner en Biélorussie puisse constituer une menace potentielle pour la Pologne, qui partage une frontière avec la Biélorussie, une menace pour la Lituanie (…), ainsi que, potentiellement, pour la Lettonie », a déclaré Andrzej Duda lors d’une conférence de presse à Kiev.. »

Will Belarus Join Russia's Invasion of Ukraine? | DW News

Mar 22, 2022 • Speculation continues to grow that Belarus will officially join Russia's war against Ukraine. The country has already allowed Moscow to use it as a military base and place its weapons there, even revoking its non-nuclear status to do so. But since Russia invaded Ukraine, Belarus's leader, Alexander Lukashenko, has said it will not get involved in any military action. He may, though, have no choice

Putin Puts Russian Nuclear Forces on High Alert as Resistance to Ukraine Invasion Grows

Feb 28, 2022 • Following a wave of peace rallies held across the globe this weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has agreed to diplomatic talks with Russia. This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin placed Russia's nuclear forces on high alert on Sunday, citing increasingly tightened international sanctions. We speak with Anatol Lieven, senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, who says it's not clear whether Putin is using a nuclear threat to topple the Ukrainian government or pressure them into a deal. Lieven also speaks about Belarus's support of the Russian invasion and argues future protests inside Russia against the war will be greatly influenced by Western sanctions.

Belarus Military Drills to Begin as Russia Ratchets Up Ukraine Tensions

THE GUARDIAN: Satellite imagery shows much Russian hardware has been moved to locations close to Ukraine border

Russia and Belarus will begin 10 days of joint military drills on Thursday, setting in train one of the most overtly threatening elements of the Kremlin’s buildup of forces around Ukraine’s borders.

Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Russian general staff, arrived in Belarus on Wednesday to oversee the drills.

Russia has moved up to 30,000 troops, two battalions of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems and numerous fighter jets into Belarus for joint training exercises with the Belarusian army. Satellite imagery shows much of the hardware has been moved to locations close to the border with Ukraine.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, reportedly told France’s Emmanuel Macron this week that the troops would leave Belarus when the exercises ended on 20 February. Even if that does happen, the drills show that Belarusian dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, is a firm ally in Putin’s Ukraine policy. » | Shaun Walker in Kyiv | Wednesday, February 9, 2022

‘A 1938 Moment’: Lithuanian PM Warns about Russian Troops in Belarus

THE GUARDIAN: Ingrida Šimonytė says threats from Moscow and Beijing mean west cannot be mired by self-doubt and division

Ingrida Šimonytė: ‘I know Putin was probably feeling very happy because he feels an important guy.’ Photograph: Toms Kalniņš/EPA
The security landscape of the Baltic states and eastern Europe may be changed permanently if Russian troops amassed on the Ukraine border start to integrate with Belarusian troops, Lithuania’s prime minister has said.

“This is a 1938 moment for our generation,” Ingrida Šimonytė said in an interview. “Neutrality helps the oppressor and never the victim.”

Šimonytė, who is due to meet Boris Johnson on Tuesday, is one of the European politicians most willing to make a case for democracy and expose the methods of autocracies.

Her stance has led her country of only 2.8 million people on to the frontline of ideological conflict not only with Russia but also China.

Belarus is threatening to block potash exports to her country, and China punished Lithuania for the opening of a Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius by cutting trade and pressing companies to pull out of Lithuania. The UK has joined Lithuania to take China to the WTO over its behaviour.

Šimonytė said the twin threats from the superpowers showed it was necessary for the west not to be mired by self-doubt, internal divisions and self-satisfaction. “The first response is not to be afraid but to speak up,” she said. “We never see the masses on the streets demanding more autocracy.” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Ukraine : Macron dit avoir obtenu de Poutine «qu'il n'y ait pas d'escalade» : Le président français Emmanuel Macron a assuré mardi avoir «obtenu» lors de ses discussions avec Vladimir Poutine «qu'il n'y ait pas de dégradation ni d'escalade» dans la crise russo-occidentale liée à l'Ukraine. »

Irakische Geflüchtete träumen auch nach Rückkehr aus Belarus weiter von Europa

Nov 23, 2021 • Drei Wochen Kälte, Hunger und Durst: das alles war vergeblich. Hussein Chodr, seine Frau und seine Mutter sind von der polnisch-belarussischen Grenze in ihr Heimatland Irak zurückgekehrt. Ihren Traum vom Leben in Europa wollen sie dennoch nicht aufgeben. © AFP

„Europa ist in Gefahr“

MIGRATIONSSTREIT MIT BELARUS
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Polen hat die Abschottung seiner Grenze zu Belarus mit der „Verteidigung Europas“ begründet. Estland und Großbritannien haben Warschau nun die Entsendung von Truppen zur Unterstützung im Migrationsstreit zugesagt.

Polen hat die Abschottung seiner Grenze zu Belarus mit der „Verteidigung Europas“ begründet. Polens Ministerpräsident warnte in einem englischsprachigen Youtube-Video am Sonntag: „Europa, unser gemeinsames Haus, ist in Gefahr.“ Über eine künstlich ausgelöste Migrationskrise und über hohe Erdgaspreise wollten die „Diktatoren“ in Belarus und Russland Europa destabilisieren – „zum ersten Mal seit 1989“. Ministerpräsident Mateusz Morawiecki sagte bei einem Besuch in Estland am Sonntag, die EU sei mit „anschwellenden, miteinander synchronisierten Krisen“ konfrontiert, und erwähnte auch die Mobilisierung russischer Truppen in der Nähe der Ukraine. » | Von Jochen Buchsteiner, Gerhard Gnauck | Sonntag, 21. November 2021

Limping and Penniless, Iraqis Deported From Belarus Face Bleak Futures

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Hundreds of desperate Iraqis are being sent home after becoming political pawns in Belarus’s quarrel with its European Union neighbors.

Nazar Shamsaldin on Sunday with some of his family back in Erbil, Iraq, after being deported from Belarus. | Hawre Khalid for The New York Times
ERBIL, Iraq — It was cold in Belarus, bitterly cold, but at least it offered hope, however illusory.

Nazar Shamsaldin was one of thousands of Iraqis who made their way to the Eastern European country in recent months, hoping it would prove a jumping-off point to new lives in the West, only to become pawns in a geopolitical game.

But this weekend he was back in Iraq, sitting on the cold floor of a tiny unfinished concrete house, newly deported from Belarus. Nearby a small boy, one of a dozen children crammed into the house, was trying to warm his hands over a single, battered kerosene heater.

Mr. Shamsaldin, a laborer, and 35 of his relatives had risked everything to travel West. Like many of the hundreds of other Iraqis deported last week, they are now deep in debt and despair. » | Jane Arraf and Sangar Khaleel | Monday, November 22, 2021

A Crisis the West Says Belarus Engineered Turns Dire for Migrants

THE NEW YORK TIMES: With thousands stranded at the border of the European Union’s eastern flank, the Polish prime minister accused Belarus of using people like “ammunition.” The autocratic leader of Belarus raised the prospect of disrupting the flow of natural gas through his country to Europe.


Hundreds of people, largely from the Middle East, camped at the Belarus-Poland border in frigid weather seeking to enter Poland. Western officials say Belarus is trying to orchestrate a refugee crisis at its borders with the European Union. | Polish Defence Ministry, via Reuters
WARSAW — As the standoff over migrants gathering along the European Union’s eastern flank grew more precarious on Thursday, with Polish news media reporting that a 14-year-old boy from Iraq had frozen to death on the Belarus side of the frontier, the language from political leaders on either side of the razor wire ratcheted up.

Western leaders have accused Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, Belarus’s autocratic leader, of engineering the crisis — creating a path into European Union countries for migrants from the Middle East.

Thousands of migrants have been escorted to the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia under the watchful eyes of the Belarusian authorities. And once there, they are stranded in bitter cold, prevented from entering the E.U. or from going back into Belarus. It is, according to Western officials, a hybrid attack with people used as weapons. Tensions escalate at the Poland-Belarus border as migrants face dire conditions. » | Andrew Higgins and Anton Troianovski | Thursday, November 11, 2021

EU und Belarus: Streit über Migration im Grenzgebiet

Tausende Menschen sitzen im Grenzgebiet zwischen Belarus und Polen fest. Die EU wirft dem belarusischen Machthaber Lukaschenko vor, Menschen gezielt aus Krisenregionen einzufliegen, um sie dann an die Grenze zur EU zu bringen. Damit wolle er die Mitgliedsstaaten unter Druck setzen, aus Rache für bereits verhängte Sanktionen.

Außenminister Maas drohte Belarus mit weiteren Sanktionen. Alle, die sich an der Schleusung von Migrant:innen beteiligten, würden sanktioniert. Die Europäische Union sei nicht erpressbar.

Am Montag hatten größere Gruppen von Migrant:innen in der Nähe von Kuznica vergeblich versucht, die EU-Außengrenze von belarusischer Seite aus zu durchbrechen. Nach Erkenntnissen der polnischen Behörden halten sich gegenwärtig zwischen 3000 und 4000 Menschen im belarusisch-polnischen Grenzgebiet auf - viele kommen aus Krisengebieten wie Afghanistan und dem Irak.


Merkel appeals to Putin to intervene in Belarus border crisis: Call comes after Polish PM said Russia was behind flow of people from Middle East to EU borders »

Poland-Belarus Border Tensions Intensify | DW News

Nov 9, 2021 • Polish officials closed the crossing with Belarus at the border town of Kuznica on Tuesday morning, a day after thousands of migrants arrived in the area. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described the incident as a "hybrid attack" conducted by the regime of Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko. "Sealing the Polish border is our national interest. But today the stability and security of the entire EU is at stake," Morawiecki wrote on Twitter. "We will not be intimidated and will defend peace in Europe with our partners from NATO and EU." Belarus denied the Polish accusations, labeling them as "unfounded and unsubstantiated," and claimed Warsaw was deliberately escalating tensions.

Hundreds of migrants are believed to still be near the border on Tuesday, with videos showing tents and fireplaces on the Belarusian side. The Polish Interior Ministry said the night was quiet, save for a rock being thrown at a police car. Videos from the scene on Monday showed a large group of migrants attempting to breach the border. Polish border guards and military claim Belarus troops were controlling and directing the group. Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told reporters that another 3,000 to 4,000 migrants were massing in the area. "We expect that there may be an escalation of this type of action on the Polish border in the near future, which will be of an armed nature," he added.



Related.

Weissrussland: Lukaschenko schickt Migranten-Gruppe zur EU-Aussengrenze, Polen reagiert mit einer Schliessung der Grenze: Als Reaktion auf Sanktionen der EU ermuntert Lukaschenko Migranten, über Weissrussland die EU-Aussengrenze zu passieren. EU-Staaten mit einer Grenze zu Weissrussland regieren mit dem Ausnahmezustand und Grenzschliessungen. »

Migrants à la frontière Biélorussie-Pologne : Poutine et Loukachenko se sont téléphoné »

Poland Warns of ‘Armed’ Attempts on Its Border as Germany Urges EU to Act

THE GUARDIAN: Poland says thousands more migrants are waiting near Belarusian border, and German minister says Warsaw and Berlin ‘can’t handle this alone’

Migrants gather on the Belarusian-Polish border Photograph: Leonid Shcheglov/BelTA/TASS
Poland has warned of an “armed” escalation of conflict involving migrants massed near the border with Belarus, as the global community reacted to the latest grim chapter in Europe’s migrant crisis.

Having blocked hundreds of people from entering the country, Polish government spokesperson Piotr Muller said a further 3,000 to 4,000 migrants were gathering near the border. “We expect that there may be an escalation of this type of action on the Polish border in the near future, which will be of an armed nature,” he said.

Poland and other EU countries have accused Belarus of trying to provoke a new refugee crisis in Europe in revenge for their criticism of Alexander Lukashenko’s brutal crackdown on opposition. The situation has been simmering for months and worsened on Monday when Belarus authorities escorted an estimated 1,000 people to the Polish border. With video » | Andrew Roth in Moscow with agencies | Tuesday, November 9, 2021

„Lasst uns unseren Blick nicht von der Tragödie abwenden!“ »

„Das können Polen oder Deutschland nicht allein bewältigen“: Bundesinnenminister Horst Seehofer fordert die EU-Kommission auf, Polen bei der Sicherung der Außengrenze zu unterstützen. Die Regierung in Warschau hatte zuvor die Ankunft tausender Migranten gemeldet. »

Belarus NGOs Condemn Government Crackdown after ‘Black Week’ of Raids

Belarusian human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski was among those arrested last week. Photograph: Dmitry Brushko/AP
THE GUARDIAN: Human rights groups say latest series of arrests and searches are part of ‘a total purge on civil society’

The government of Belarus has launched a broad crackdown on civil society, launching raids and arrests on dozens of organisations in what has been described as a “black week” for the country’s NGOs.

The raids, which began last week, have touched all corners of civil society, from groups that campaign for political prisoners’ rights to those that crowdfund medical care and have helped medics in the fight against coronavirus.

The pressure follow mass arrests of opposition politicians and the closure and harassment of much of the country’s independent media, as longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko seeks to stamp out even apolitical efforts by Belarusians to self-organise.

“It’s a total purge of civil society,” said Marina Vorobei, the founder of Freeunion.online, an online platform for public unions and initiatives that helps with self-organisation and provides tools for secure networking and remote work. “NGOs have always been under pressure in Belarus … but these raids, this wave of arrests and seizures have never been seen by the non-profit sector.” » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Friday, July 23, 2021

Belarus Is Isolated as Other Countries Move to Ban Flights

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The extraordinary forced landing of a commercial flight with a Belarusian dissident aboard escalated into one of the biggest flare-ups in East-West tensions in recent years.

MOSCOW — The tray tables were being raised and the seat backs returned to their upright positions as passengers on Ryanair Flight 4978 prepared for the scheduled landing in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. Then the plane made an abrupt U-turn.

For many passengers, it initially seemed like one of those unexpected delays in airline travel. But after the pilot announced the plane had been diverted to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, one passenger — Roman Protasevich, a prominent Belarusian opposition journalist who had been living in exile since 2019 — grew terrified, certain that he faced arrest.

“He panicked because we were about to land in Minsk,” Marius Rutkauskas, who was sitting one row ahead of Mr. Protasevich, told the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT upon arrival in Vilnius.

Sunday’s ordeal — described by many European officials as an extraordinary, state-sponsored hijacking by Belarus to seize Mr. Protasevich — quickly led to one of the most severe East-West flare-ups in recent years.

Meeting Monday evening in Brussels, European Union leaders called on all E.U.- based airlines to stop flying over Belarus and began the process of banning Belarusian airlines from flying over the bloc’s airspace or landing in its airports — effectively severing the country’s direct air connections to Western Europe. » | Anton Troianovski | Monday, May 24, 2021

A State-Sponsored Skyjacking Can’t Go Unanswered »