Belarus

EU says sanctions an option to tackle Belarus people smugglers

The European Union will consider sanctions against migrant smugglers and those involved in human trafficking to address a surge in "irregular" border crossings from Belarus, the bloc's top diplomat said.…

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EU border agency to police Lithuania-Belarus frontier from next week

European Union border agency Frontex will deploy 60 border guards to police Lithuania's frontier with Belarus next week after a surge in migrants crossing illegally, its executive director said on…

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Belarus police raid homes and offices of journalists, rights activists

Belarusian police searched the offices and homes of journalists and human rights activists for the third successive day on Friday, extending what rights activists say is a new crackdown on…

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Belarus seeks Russia’s help in response to EU sanctions

Moscow (dpa) - Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, under pressure due to European Union sanctions, sought further support from Russia on Tuesday at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. "The dynamics are wild.…

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UPDATED: Belarus using refugees as a weapon, must face more EU sanctions, Lithuania says

The European Union should consider a fifth round of sanctions on Belarus because the country's government is flying in migrants from abroad to send them illegally into the bloc, Lithuania's…

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UPDATED: Frontex vows additional support for Lithuania amid migrant crisis, US expresses concern

EU border agency Frontex said it would ramp up its support for Lithuania next week, as the country deals with an increase in migrants crossing its border. The agency vowed…

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Belarus sees little impact on debt from EU sanctions, to rely on Russia and Asia

The Belarus finance ministry sees little impact from European Union sanctions on its ability to service its external debt obligations, it said in a statement to Reuters, adding that Russian…

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UPDATED: Turkey says ready to support Lithuania over migrants from Belarus

Turkey is ready to extend its support and expertise on migration to Lithuania, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, after Lithuania accused Belarus of flying in migrants from abroad,…

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Lithuania says Belarus is flying in migrants, plans border barrier

Lithuania on Wednesday accused Belarus of flying in migrants from abroad to send to the European Union and said it would build a barrier on the border and deploy troops…

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Swiss widen sanctions list against Belarus

Switzerland has widened its sanctions against Belarus, the government said on Wednesday, joining other countries in acting after Belarusian authorities triggered outrage by intercepting a Ryanair flight in May and…

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U.S. finalizes Belarus air travel restrictions

The U.S. Transportation Department finalized an order on Tuesday banning ticket sales for air travel between the United States and Belarus, acting after Minsk forced a Ryanair flight to land…

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Belarus leader threatens to halt transit of EU goods via his country to east

Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, on Tuesday threatened to stop the transit of European Union goods via his country to Russia and China in retaliation for EU sanctions. The 27-nation…

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U.S. hints at further sanctions on Belarus

Washington hinted at the possibility of further economic sanctions against Belarus in a strongly worded speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday. The United States announced targeted sanctions…

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Belarus closes border with neighbouring Ukraine

Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko ordered the closure of the border with Ukraine, seeking to block what he called an inflow of weapons to coup-plotters detected by his security services, BelTA…

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Belarus tells EU envoy to go, withdraws migration help in sanctions row

Belarus on Monday told the European Union's representative in Minsk to return to Brussels for consultations and said it would stop helping the 27-nation bloc combat illegal migration as retaliation against…

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Belarus dictator floods EU with migrants in retaliation for sanctions

The embattled Belarusian dictator has made good on his threat to flood the European Union with migrants by sending hundreds of Iraqis on ‘package holidays’ to neighbouring Lithuania in retaliation…

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EU sanctions to cut Belarus oil products from European market

The European Union has banned companies from doing business with Belarusian oil products as a part of wide-ranging economic sanctions on Belarus announced on Thursday, cutting one of the top…

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EU imposes economic sanctions on Belarus over Ryanair ‘piracy’

The European Union imposed sanctions across the Belarusian economy on Thursday in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight by Minsk to arrest a journalist on board last…

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Western sanctions bordering on a ‘declaration of economic war’, says Belarus

Belarus views Western sanctions, imposed in response to Minsk's forced landing of a Ryanair plane last month to arrest a journalist on board, as a declaration of economic war, the Foreign Ministry…

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Lithuania govt readies support for companies hit by sanctions on Belarus

The Lithuanian government stands ready to provide support to its enterprises as they get hit by European sanctions on Belarus, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Monday. Outraged at the forced…

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EU reaches deal on Belarus economic sanctions, according to Austria, diplomats

The European Union is set to ban new loans to Belarus after reaching a deal on Friday for economic sanctions on Minsk as punishment for forcing down a flight to…

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Diplomats say EU reaches technical deal on Belarus economic sanctions

The European Union reached on Friday a technical agreement on economic sanctions on Belarus after Austria lifted its objections, including a ban on new loans to Belarus, two diplomats told…

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UPDATED: EU agrees additional sanctions on Belarus after forced Ryanair landing

The European Union on Wednesday agreed additional sanctions on Belarus in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and the arrest of a dissident journalist on…

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Lithuania says Belarus is helping Middle Eastern migrants to cross its borders

Lithuania's Prime Minister says she believes Belarus is behind a recent spike of illegal immigration into Lithuania, following a threat by its president that it will no longer prevent migrants…

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Russia removes Belarus opposition politician Tsikhanouskaya from wanted list – RIA

Russian police have removed Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya from their wanted list at the initative of the Belarusian authorities, the RIA news agency reported on Tuesday. Tsikhanouskaya fled into exile last…

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Belarus introduces prison sentences for taking part in protests

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday signed into law prison sentences for people taking part in protests or insulting state officials, part of an unprecedented crackdown by the veteran leader…

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UPDATED: EU to ban Belarus overflights from midnight

European Union ambassadors on Friday adopted a plan to ban Belarus airlines from flying over EU territory or landing in EU airports, three diplomats said. The decision is part of…

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Opposition decries ‘hostage’ video as Belarus airs confession of detained journalist

Detained journalist Roman Protasevich appeared on Belarusian state television on Thursday, tearfully confessing to his role in anti-government protests in an interview which the opposition said was made under duress.…

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Germany denies incoming flights from Russia

Air traffic between Germany and Russia was disrupted on Wednesday due to a dispute over flight approvals. The responsible Russian authority did not give timely approval for June flights by…

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Belarusian prisoner tries to cut own throat in court hearing

A Belarusian prisoner detained in a crackdown on protests tried to cut his own throat during a court hearing on Tuesday after being told his family and neighbours faced prosecution…

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Cyprus closes its airspace to Belarus airlines, flights

Cyprus has closed its airspace to flights from Belarus, joining a list of European Union nations imposing restrictions following the forced landing of a passenger jet in Minsk on May…

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Russia vows to defend Belarus if EU sanctions Minsk

Russia will defend Belarus and help it if the European Union imposes economic sanctions on Minsk over the grounding of a plane and arrest of a dissident blogger, the RIA…

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Death threats and arrests: Belarus opposition media struggles at home and abroad

In an elegant apartment building in central Warsaw flying a red and white flag from its first floor balcony, a symbol of the Belarusian opposition, remnants of the anti-government media…

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U.S. to re-impose sanctions on Belarus firms over plane incident

The Biden administration said on Friday it is drawing up a list of targeted sanctions against key members of the Belarusian government following the former Soviet republic's forced landing of…

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UPDATED: Ryanair says Belarus refused pilot’s request to contact airline, Lithuania trying to identify those disembarked in Minsk

Belarusian air traffic control refused a request by a Ryanair pilot to contact the airline after being told of an alleged bomb threat, leaving him with no alternative but to…

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UPDATED: Russia to allow European flights to bypass Belarus, Ukraine to ban Belarus airlines from its airspace

Russia will allow European flights to arrive and depart via routes that bypass Belarusian airspace, the RBC news outlet reported late on Thursday, despite Moscow previously denying access to two…

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FBI and Poland have launched inquiries into Belarus plane, says Lithuanian police chief

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Poland have launched their own inquiries into the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Belarus, the chief of Lithuania's criminal police said…

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Diplomats say Turkey pushed NATO allies into softening outrage over Belarus plane

Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two…

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U.N. aviation body to probe Belarus plane grounding, first report due by June 25

The United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreed to investigate the forced grounding of a Ryanair passenger plane in Minsk, an incident that prompted international outrage. ICAO's 36-nation governing…

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Russia refuses granting European planes to land in Moscow

Russia has retaliated against a ban on carriers entering Belarus’s airspace by refusing to grant permission to European planes flying to Moscow. The Guardian reports what is "an apparent escalation…

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Detained journalist broke his own rule – Never fly over Belarus, says friend

Roman Protasevich, the Belarusian journalist jailed after his plane was forced to land on Sunday, had decided to avoid flying over Belarus because of the risk of being intercepted but…

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UPDATED: Email bomb threat sent after blogger’s plane was diverted over Belarus -Swiss email provider

Privacy-focused email provider Proton Technologies AG said on Thursday that a bomb threat cited by Belarusian authorities as the reason for diverting a Ryanair jet carrying a journalist and blogger…

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UPDATED: Belarusian flag carrier Belavia cancels flights to eight countries

Belarusian national flag carrier Belavia said on Thursday it had been forced to cancel flights to eight countries from May 27 to Oct. 30 due to flight bans. The European…

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UPDATED: EU to slap sanctions on financial transactions of Belarus, Germany says

Proposed European Union economic sanctions on Belarus will hit financial transactions by the country, Germany said on Thursday. "It is clear that we will not be satisfied with small sanctions…

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Belarusian plane turns back after warning about French airspace

A Belarusian passenger plane flying from Minsk to Barcelona turned back on Wednesday, data from website Flightradar24 showed, after Poland said it may not be able to enter French airspace.…

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UPDATED: Belarus leader denies having known arrested blogger was on board flight

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Wednesday that he had not known that dissident blogger Roman Protasevich was on board the flight that was diverted to Minsk but that he…

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UPDATED: Europe regulator urges airlines to avoid Belarus over safety

Europe's aviation regulator on Wednesday urged all airlines to avoid Belarus airspace for safety reasons, saying the forced diversion of a Ryanair flight had put in question the country's ability…

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Airlines re-route to avoid Belarus, opposition says journalist beaten

Airlines re-routed flights to avoid Belarus's airspace on Tuesday and Belarusian planes faced a possible ban from Europe, as international outrage mounted over Minsk forcing down a jetliner and arresting…

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EU leaders agree to pile more sanctions on Belarus over Ryanair incident

European Union leaders agreed to impose more sanctions on Belarus, including economic ones, called on their airlines to avoid the former Soviet republic's airspace and authorised work to ban Belarusian airlines from…

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EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss Belarus response

The European Union could decide to sanction Belarus once again on Monday evening after the country forced a Ryanair flight to land and detained a Belarusian opposition journalist on board. The…

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Frankfurt bound Lufthansa flight from Minsk forced to late departure due to ‘threat of terrorist attack’

A Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt from Minsk airport was suspended due to the threat of an imminent terrorist act. This was stated by the press service of the airport quoted…

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Ryanair CEO says Belarus plane grounding ‘state-sponsored piracy’

A decision by authorities in Belarus to force a Ryanair jet to land in Minsk on Sunday and detain a dissident journalist was a "state-sponsored hijacking", Ryanair Chief Executive Michael…

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UPDATED: EU considers shunning Belarusian airspace over forced landing

The European Union is considering shunning Belarus's airspace and banning national carrier Belavia from EU airports after Belarusian authorities scrambled a warplane and forced a Ryanair jetliner to land in…

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UPDATED: Russia calls West’s reaction to Belarus plane incident ‘shocking’, France discussing suspension of Belarus transport links

Russia on Monday accused the West of hypocrisy in its outraged response to the diversion of an airliner to the Belarusian capital Minsk. Belarusian authorities scrambled a fighter jet and…

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