Loading...
RSS
Belarus-Russia relations Belarusian language Belarusian military travel to Belarus
Why Support Belarus Digest?
Belarus-Russian relations
RSS politics category
Minsk silently builds a new army
On 1 December, Minsk made public an agreement with Russia to supply a joint regional group of Belarusian and Russian troops. In return, Russia’s Defence Ministry has committed to providing Belarus with necessary equipment and arms in times of “increasing...
1 August 2017
The Belarusian authorities learn to appreciate their country’s statehood

On 1 July, on the eve of the official Independence day, Alexander Lukashenka highlighted a relation of Belarusians to the Great Duchy of Lithuania. It became the first statement of officials that identifies Belarusians with an independent...

15 October 2013
die_drei_bogatyr.jpg
Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan Building Alliances Against Moscow?

On Thursday, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenka sent out a warning: if Russia keeps export duties on its petroleum products, Belarus will not be able to stay in the Russia-dominated Customs Union anymore. Belarus sees economic sense in the union only if Putin...

9 April 2012
liakhovich.jpg
How Can Belarusian Authorities Retaliate Against the EU Sanctions?

Last month for the first time ever, the EU introduced sanctions against a number of companies, which supply oil refinery products to EU countries. It means that there is still a possibility of expansion of painful economic sanctions against Lukashenka's regime. There is no...

6 April 2012
vlad-putin-wink.jpg
Opinion: Does Russia Want EU Sanctions Against Belarus?

Yesterday Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin talked with Alexander Lukashenka over the telephone. On the same day Lukashenka announced at a meeting with Belarusian foreign policy officials that he may release some of Belarus' political prisoners. The relation between these two...

3 April 2012
3russia-belorussia-eu.jpg
Lukashenka Caught Between Russia and a Hard Place – Western Press Digest

The flaring diplomatic breakdown between Belarus and the EU and closer ties with Russia have dominated Western press coverage over the last month. Analysts offer mixed views about the significance of the row for the geopolitical balance between the...

2 April 2012
belavia_plane.jpg
Trade Wars with Russia: from Sugar to Airlines

Last Monday, flights between Minsk and Moscow suddenly stopped. Russia has recalled the licence for flights to Russia from Belavia, the Belarusian national airline. The Belarusian side responded by cancelling the licences of the Russian companies. A new trade...

19 March 2012
lu-putin.jpg
Belarus-Russia Relations: Between Equilibrium and Anschluss

Today Lukashenka is taking part in the Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community in Moscow to "give new momentum to the integration processes." With no EU ambassadors in Minsk, relations between Belarus and Western nations are at their...

7 March 2012
lukashenko-i-papa.jpg
How Not to Be Cheated by Belarus Authorities

The incumbent Belarusian government has a long record of deceptive behaviour in its foreign relations. Both its major trading partners – Russia and the European Union – have more than once seen official Minsk let them down on its...

8 January 2012
tor-m2.jpg
Belarus Needs an Enemy

If one listens to the Belarusian and Russian leadership, a war with the West is imminent. This weekend, the Belarusian internet was filled with stories about Moscow being ready to defend Belarus from Warsaw's claims to the Grodno and...