Leader of the Belarusian democratic movement Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya wants the West to impose tougher sanctions on pro-regime businesses and entrepreneurs in her country. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Many people were forced to flee the country, including Ms Tsikhanouskaya and her children, who found safety in neighbouring Lithuania. Earlier on Monday, two consuls from Grodno and the go-between of the Polish border guard in Minsk were told to leave Belarus "by the end of the day on Wednesday", spokesman for the Polish Foreign Ministry Lukasz Jasina said. (UNHCR). Lukashenko, who has been asking Putin for nuclear weapons for a while, claimed Belarus needed the weapons because Ukraines Western allies were planning a coup against him. Mr Lukashenko signed a law in March to make the death penalty applicable to officials and army servicemen convicted of high treason, in what Ms Tsikhanouskaya sees as a sign of his growing fear that regime insiders could turn against him and an insight into why he has not ordered the Belarusian armed forces to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine. But he has avoided having Belarus take part directly in the fighting for now. Since then, the country has maintained close economic and political ties with Russia. Putin said last week that Moscow has already transferred an Iskander short-range missile system to Belarus. "The actions of the Polish authorities could lead to a collapse on both sides of the border," the country's border committee said in a statement shared on social media. He baselessly accused Western countries of "preparing to invade" Belarus from Poland and "destroy" it. Belarus also played a role in the invasion. This week Ukrainian forces continue to push into territories that Moscow claims to have absorbed into Russia via illegal annexation. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. The warning comes just as Ukrainian forces prepare for possible attacks from Belarus. People know the consequences of speaking out years in prison but they do this because the fates of Ukraine and Belarus are intertwined, Ms Tsikhanouskaya said. She said that the number continues to grow as authorities dole out jail terms to anyone caught criticising the countrys ruler of almost 30 years, or his alliance with Russia and his support for its invasion of Ukraine. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Ms Tsikhanouskaya was speaking as she arrived in Ireland to collect the Tipperary International Peace Award. The relentless attack on dissent in Belarus makes the international action co-ordinated by Ms Tsikhanouskaya and her allies vital to the countrys hopes for democracy. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. She wants the West to impose tougher sanctions on pro-regime businesses and entrepreneurs, to show members of the Belarusian elite that there is no future with Lukashenko and to ensure that officials know that they will have to answer for their crimes against the people. He also reiterated that Belarus is committed to being a union state with Russia. Belarus was previously part of the Soviet Union until the USSR collapsed in 1991. You heard what the Russian president said about the relevant infrastructure in Belarus' territory. Belarus, a close Russian ally, has threatened to go after Poland with a "cruel" response over what the country said were "provocations" from Poland. WARSAW, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Poland announced more curbs to road traffic with Belarus on Monday, hours after saying Minsk was expelling three Polish diplomats, as relations between the two nations deteriorate. Clashes erupted with Polish police in riot gear. "[11][12] Major-General Ruslan Kosygin continued: "The territory of Poland, as well as the Baltic countries, is turning into a polygon, where the USA plans to unleash another bloody conflict in Europe against the Russian Federation and its allies." In the same year, a number of Home Army monuments in Belarus were purposely destroyed. Poland is also hosting the Belarusian news channel Nexta, which has played a key part in organizing the protests. We notice that when there are successes on the battlefield for Ukraine, more people [from the regime] come to us with information. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has welcomed thousands of Russian troops to his country, allowed the Kremlin to use it to launch the invasion of Ukraine last year, and offered to station some of Moscow's tactical nuclear weapons there. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland might close further border crossings. Subscribe now. Lukashenko said that Minsk and Moscow would make every effort and use the means to ensure their sovereignty and independence. He specifically accused Poland and its zealous Western neighbors of building up the formation of certain regiments, banners, legions for a subsequent coup in Belarus.. Other observers think he wants to extract concessions from the EU and others. Polish border officials said the border crossing in Kuznica, in the northeast, will be closed early Tuesday. "We are thinking about a good and proper response to this," he said. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images). The warning comes just as Ukrainian forces prepare for possible attacks from Belarus. The decision was linked to Minsk curbing traffic for Polish road freight on Belarus' borders with Latvia and Lithuania, the ministry said. According to the government, nearly 30,000 attempted border crossings have taken place this year, including 17,000 in October. He was concerned about "attempts by individual Polish politicians to initiate the return of the so-called Polish ancestral lands, which means the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 2023 Cable News Network. According to Ms Tsikhanouskaya, the actual number of Belarusians imprisoned for opposing Mr Lukashenko is much larger about 5,000 people. According to an assessment from Ukraine Security Service (SBU) Colonel Roman Kostenko, it is possible that. Newly passed laws have allowed police to ignore asylum requests and summarily expel the migrants back into Belarus. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. How does Belarus fit into Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Earlier this week, Ryhor Azaronak, a Belarusian propagandist, warned that Belarus is prepared to attack Lithuania and Poland with nuclear weapons. They joined the United Nations together in October 1945 as original members. 2. Nonetheless, Russia has plans to send troops into Belarus shortly, Kostenko said. Cultural relations between the two are quite friendly but diplomatic relations between the two countries are currently very strained. Relations were further strained on Wednesday when a Belarusian court sentenced a journalist of Polish origin to eight years in prison in a trial Warsaw said was politically motivated. Speaking to the nation on state TV, Lukashenko also called for the freezing of hostilities in Ukraine. After Operation Barbarossa and occupation by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union returned in 1944 and the two Soviet republics permanently reclaimed what had been Polish "Kresy" from 1920 to 1939. Belarusian authorities employed various methods of violent political crackdown, consisting of various humans rights violations; Poland strongly condemned the measures. Maj. Gen. Ruslan Kosygin, the deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus, pointed to the holding of military exercises in Poland as well as attempts by individual Polish politicians to initiate the return of the so-called native Polish lands as signs of the United States planning to initiate a conflict against Russia. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday set in motion an expedited process for the chamber to consider a clean two-year suspension of the federal debt ceiling, a Schumer spokesman said. Recently, Belarusian men have been called to attend military training . See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Victory for Ukraine is extremely important, Ms Tsikhanouskaya said, because Ukraine and Belarus are facing the same enemy the imperialistic ambitions of Russia. The threats echoed the way Russia staged attacks against its own troops early this year in order to claim a reason to invade Ukraine. Poland and Lithuania became two of the first countries to officially back the Belarusian opposition. They are preparing to invade the territory of Belarus to destroy our country, Lukashenko said, according to Interfax. Putin ally Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said in a Friday address to the nation and parliament that Belarus will defend itself by any means, including with nuclear weapons. [If] there will be at least one bullet in our border guards, the answer will be immediate and cruel, Lappo said. Russia at the time said. They had been escorted to the border by Belarusian authorities. The Belarusian situation is a little bit overlooked at the moment because all the focus and attention is on Ukraine and we fully support this. This shift won't go unnoticed in places such as Poland and the Baltic states, which have long viewed Belarus as a bulwark . It is also an opportunity . Our converted planes can also carry a nuclear warhead. In August 2021, following a sudden influx of refugees coming from Belarus, Poland deployed 15,000 troops to guard the eastern frontier with Belarus. But if Russia follows through on threats to expand the war in Ukraine to include other territorial goals, including those in Poland, Moscow could end up ensnaring NATO members and and touch off a wider war. Belarus and Poland share a common border (~418km long) which is the European Union external border, which also splits the primeval Biaowiea Forest between Belarusian and Polish national parks. I just want to clarify: The entire infrastructure has been created and is ready, Lukashenko said. WARSAW, Poland Hundreds if not thousands of migrants sought to storm the border from Belarus into Poland on Monday, cutting razor wire defenses and using branches to try and climb over. Kosygin also issued a warning to the West, saying Belarus is prepared to respond to any provocations in an adequate and tough manner. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Alan Charlish, Anna Koper, Editing by William Maclean, Ukrainian defenders oust Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut - Ukraine general, US believes Russians in Ukraine have suffered 100,000 casualties in 5 months, Britain's Cleverly expects to meet Chinese vice president this week, French police clash with black-clad anarchists during May Day rallies, Schumer sets expedited process to consider clean debt ceiling suspension, British royals release photo of a beaming Princess Charlotte, Normalising China-Australia trade will take more than a political fix, Protests in Paraguay as losing candidates calls for recount, Australia to pay soldiers bonus to stay as strategic risks rise. Polish Prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has promised to provide help to the opposition, which angered president Lukashenko and his allies. Poland has been an important refuge for opponents of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, and Warsaw has become one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters since Belarus' main ally Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The government has also approved a new, Donald Trump-style border wall to keep them out of the country. It is Lukashenkos dream to have nuclear weapons. Read also: Belarus calls for ceasefire in Ukraine At the beginning of Russia's full-scale war and invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Lukashenko allowed two Russian attack groups to enter Ukraine, one on either side of the Dnipro River, as Russia attempted to seize the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a pincer maneuver. Meanwhile, temperatures in the forested no mans land between Belarus and Poland are falling and becoming more dangerous every day. More than 1,000 people, many fleeing dangerous conditions in Middle Eastern countries, arrived en masse at Polands border with Belarus this week, in a dramatic escalation of a simmering migration crisis on the edge of the EU. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and top security officials visited the . In the context of Ukraine, nothing changes. "[13], In 2022, Polish places of national remembrance were devastated or destroyed in Belarus, incl. The overwhelming majority of Belarusians dont support the war against Ukraine, and I believe its the same situation in the armed forces if they are forced to move into Ukraine, many will lay down their weapons and surrender, Ms Tsikhanouskaya said. [Ukraine: Russian missile strike injures 34 as Kyivs military pushes Bakhmut counter-attack]. A state that is capable, in case of an attack on its territory, to respond with tactical nuclear weapons," Azaronak said. The EU commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has pledged greater support for Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to police the border. The Polish government has allotted a villa in the Praga-Poudnie district of Warsaw for 10 years to be used by the Belarusian opposition. We feel the presence of Russia in every sphere in the military, the economy, the media and this possible deployment of Russian nuclear weapons is extremely dangerous for our country. The Kremlin also ruled out the proposal on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inspected the frontier with Belarus and Poland on Wednesday, and thanked border guards for their defense of the country since Russia's invasion. He baselessly accused Western countries of preparing to invade Belarus from Poland and destroy it. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. More than 30,000 Russian troops gathered in Belarus in February under the guise of partaking in joint training exercises. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko alleges there are plans to invade Belarus from neighbouring Poland, calling Russia's nuclear arms a "safeguard" from the West. Moscow has already sent some Iskander tactical missile systems, used to launch nuclear weapons, to Belarus, Putin added. European countries will admit they have been wrong, the West will fall to its knees, and, as usual, European countries will have to cooperate with the Russian Federation in all spheres, Kadyrov said, according to TASS. Now, Belarus is embracing Russias interest in placing nuclear weapons in Belarus and the return of nuclear forces to its country. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, last week renewed his support for Putins war in Ukraine. According to Tertel, the supposed "conflict" could place Belarus under threat of a nuclear strike, or even U.S. military invasion. Lukashenko also welcomed Putin's plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying it would safeguard his country from a possible invasion from neighboring Poland. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. While tactical warheads are designed for use in a limited battlefield, for example to destroy a command post or a column of tanks, strategic nuclear warheads are designed to destroy entire cities. A standoff ensued between both armies, border guards and refugees caught in between. It previously gave up nuclear weapons in 1996 to Russia after gaining independence from the Soviet Union. Death toll rising: . Top Putin Ally Threatens Cruel Attacks on New Country. Putin ally Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Freight traffic for Belarusian vehicles at the Kukuryki-Kozlowicze border crossing will be suspended as of 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Polish Interior Ministry said on Monday. However, the Russian leader said he would not transfer control of the tactical nuclear weapons to Lukashenko, likening the move to Washingtons practice of stationing nuclear weapons in Europe to keep host countries, like Germany, from breaking their commitments as non-nuclear powers.
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