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NEWLY released satellite photos show the smouldering wreckage of two prized Russian naval assets after a devastating strike from Ukraine. Yesterday, Kyiv's forces unleashed a barrage of ten cruise missiles along with kamikaze drones in a huge hit that rocked Putin's forces. New dramatic photos shared on Twitter show the catastrophic damage inflicted on the landing ship "Minsk" and the Kilo-class "Rostov-on-Don" attack submarine. Prior to the early morning attack, both vessels were allegedly awaiting repairs in a dry dock. After the crippling strike, satellite imagery showed the crumbling, charred remains of the formerly great landing ship and submarine. Another...

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has been disappointed by the statement of German ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, where she claimed that the Minsk agreements of 2014 enabled Ukraine to prepare for war with Russia. For me, it was completely unexpected. It is disappointing. I did not expect to hear something like that from the ex-Chancellor. I always hoped that the German leadership was genuine. Yes, she was on Ukraine’s side, supporting it. But nevertheless, I genuinely hoped that German leadership expected a settlement based on the principles achieved, among other things, during the Minsk negotiations." "It appears to me that...

Though the invading Russian Army seems to be capturing Ukraine, the real war is between the US-led West and Russia, not between Ukraine and Russia. Also as Russia has vetoed a UNSC resolution that demanded that Moscow immediately stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops, the only possible way out now is an urgent dialogue between Russia and the West With shock and awe, the world is witnessing the worst ever war crisis in Europe since the end of the Second World War as Russian President Vladimir Putin is hell-bent on punishing Ukraine for refusing to dance to...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to remain in the capital even as Russian troops fought to enter Kyiv, Zelensky said, "The enemy identifies me as the number one target." "They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state," Zelensky told Ukrainians in a video during early hours of Friday. His family was the No. 2 target, he said, but also remained in Ukraine. "My family is not traitors, but citizens of Ukraine. But I have no right to say where they are now." Zelensky said he was staying "with everyone who is needed for the work of...

As Russian troops entered the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Friday, Russian officials indicated that Moscow was willing to send a delegation to Belarus for talks with their Ukrainian counterparts. But early indicators suggest that Moscow still seeks the full surrender of the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet for talks and indicated that he would be willing to discuss Ukraine’s “neutral status,” which would mark a dramatic shift for a country that currently seeks membership in both NATO and the European Union. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said...

After more than a week sleeping in a frigid encampment on the border between Belarus and Poland, and an abortive foray across the frontier repelled by pepper spray and police batons, Mohammad Faraj gave up this month and retreated to a warm hotel in Minsk, capital of Belarus. Soon after, however, he watched with surprise and excitement a video report on Facebook claiming that Poland was about to open its border and urging all those who wanted to enter the European Union to gather at a gas station near the encampment that the migrants had nicknamed “the jungle.” Mr. Faraj,...

A recent surge in illegal migration into Lithuania represents a hybrid attack on that country and the region and European Union as a whole, defense minister Kalle Laanet (Reform) says. Laanet said Friday that: "Lithuania is our close ally, and our duty is to support them immediately in this crisis." "We are also ready to send three unmanned aircraft crews to Lithuania from August 1 to improve situational awareness at the border," he added, according to a defense ministry press release. Laanet made the remarks during a phone call with his Lithuanian opposite number Agnė Bilotaitė, while both ministers agreed...

On Monday, June 21, Turkish President Recep Erdogan said that his recent meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels opens a "new era" in diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to Erdogan, there are no problems in relations between Turkey and the United States that cannot be solved, and there are much more areas for cooperation. Biden expressed the hope that countries can make real progress. At the same time, the parties did not agree on problematic issues, such as the acquisition by Turkey of Russian S-400 anti-missile systems, violation of...

Authorities in Belarus have withdrawn the accreditation of a number of journalists who have been reporting on post-election protests there for foreign media outlets. Two journalists with the BBC's Russian service are among those affected. In a statement, the BBC said it condemned "in the strongest possible terms this stifling of independent journalism". Fresh demonstrations against the government broke out on Saturday. Belarus is gripped by mass protests, triggered by an election widely believed to have been rigged in favour of the long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko. On Saturday, several thousand women - many in national dress - rallied in the...

Bookmark for further development many sources reporting mass protests are underway

Head of the DPR Aleksandr Zakharchenko made an emergency announcement in Donetsk on February 26 in regard to the withdrawal of heavy armaments from the line of contact. He recited to the journalists the text of the document submitted to the Head of the OSCE mission in the DPR. “In pursuance of the Declaration of 12.02.2015 and the “Package of measures concerning implementation of the Minsk Agreement” the Donetsk People’s Republic has withdrawn heavy armament to the agreed upon and registered by the given document distance”, the document claims. Aleksandr Zakharchenko remarked that the DPR has withdrawn 90% of artillery,...

China will invest US$5 billion in building an industrial city on the outskirts of Minsk, capital of Belarus, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. Since establishing diplomatic tiesd with Belarus in 1992, China has been developing an increasingly close economic relationship with the country, as evidenced by the signing of the US$3 billion currency swap agreement between the two nations in 2009. According to Chinese and Belarusian officials, Alexander G. Lukashenko, president of Belarus, has earmarked a plot of land near Minsk International Airport, with a space 40% larger than Manhattan, for the industrial city project, which will accommodate...

The terrorist attack on the Minsk subway has spawned many theories and presumptions about those who were behind this horrific event. Some observers believe that the attackers may be in Russia. According to independent political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin, there are several arguments in favor of this theory when viewed in the context of the upcoming 2012 elections. ‘Respublika’: Dmitry Borisovich (Oreshkin), the terrorist attack on the Minsk subway was a new phenomenon for Belarus, and very unexpected. Do you have any theories as to who might be behind this event? Dmitry Oreshkin: I rather doubt this was (the work of)...

In Minsk they will long remember the evening of April 11th, 2011, when an explosion at the ‘October’ subway station took the lives of 11 people. The law enforcement bodies after their first examination of the scene now have no doubts as to what to label the explosion: this is an act of terrorism, the likes of which modern Belarus has never before known. How it was According to Minsk police, the explosion occurred at 17:55 on the platform of the ‘October’ subway station near the second car of a train that was heading in the direction of the Culture...

A rush-hour explosion at a subway station in the center of the Belarusian capital has reportedly killed at least seven people and injured dozens more. The blast occurred at the Kastrychnitskaya (October Square) station in downtown Minsk, not far from President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's offices. There was no immediate indication of whether the explosion was an accident or an attack. A man who gave only his first name, Henadz, told RFE/RL's Belarus Service that he was unsure whether the explosion had struck a train or the platform. Lukashenka has ordered an emergency meeting with officials later tonight. 'Pillars Of Fire' An...

MINSK, Belarus – An explosion tore through a key subway station in the Belarusian capital of Minsk during evening rush hour Monday, killing seven people and wounding 50 others, officials said. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw heavily wounded people being carried out of the Oktyabrskaya subway station, including one person with missing legs.

MINSK, Belarus — An explosion has ripped through a subway station in the center of the Belarusian capital, severely wounding at least a dozen people and sending clouds of smoke pouring into the street. An Associated Press reporter at the scene Monday evening saw several inert people being carried out of the station, some with heavy injuries including at least one with missing legs.

MINSK, Belarus – An explosion tore through a subway station in the Belarusian capital during evening rush hour Monday, causing at least a dozen serious injuries and sending clouds of smoke pouring into the street. The official state news agency Belta said there were fatalities.

Danish brewer Carlsberg said it had raised its stake in the Minsk-based Olivaria Brewery and expected the Belarusian market to be stable in 2010, the news agency Reuters reports.

Belarus: Church Evicted Forum 18 News reports that on Aug. 20, New Life Full Gospel Church in Minsk, Moscow, was issued an eviction notice by government officials, forcing them to abandon their church building purchased in 2002. The church is adamant they do not fear the government’s threats. “We’re here praying and believe God will protect us,” Sergei Lukanin, the church’s lawyer told Forum 18 News. “As a lawyer I believe the state could do anything, including the use of force. But as a believer I rely on God.” Government authorities have not disclosed why the church is being evicted,...