#belarus-democracy

#belarus-democracy

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the release of 250 political prisoners on Thursday in exchange for easing sanctions from Washington, according to the US embassy in nearby Lithuania. It is reportedly the largest one-time release of its kind so far, as Belarus is ramping up efforts to normalize ties with the United States.

According to the cybersecurity group InformNapalm, hackers from the Fenix analytical cyber centre monitored Russian military personnel around the clock from mid-2025 to February 2026, accessing drone monitoring systems and intercepting operational chats. The intelligence was passed directly to Ukraine's Defence Forces, helping counter waves of drone attacks and contributing to strikes on Russian command posts and launch sites. Read more related news:

The narratives they offer through culture are therefore some of the clearest expressions of how they see their role in a wartime country. This year, Moscow has hosted two major government-backed awards ceremonies one for books, one for films. In both cases, the organisers played it safe, repeating familiar themes, many of them rooted in Soviet-era cultural and wartime mythology. Prizes went largely to people within the same orbit in most cases, the families of well-known Soviet-era cultural icons.

NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) Thousands of people rallied on Saturday in Serbia as university students announced a new stage in their struggle against President Aleksandar Vucic's tenure after leading more than a year of mass demonstrations that shook his autocratic government in the Balkan country. Protesters in Novi Sad, chanting thieves, accused the government of rampant corruption that they believe also led to a November 2024 train station disaster in the northern city that killed 16 people and triggered the nationwide movement for change.

Their gathering still had to be dispersed, but the enthusiasm that Ored Recordings inspires even among enforcers of the law speaks volumes about the power of what Khalilov and his friend and label co-founder Timur Kodzoko call punk ethnography: the recording of religious chants, laments and displacement songs at family gatherings, local festivals, in people's kitchens, to fight against the erasure of Circassian culture.

Over the course of the past few months, Vucic has gradually narrowed down possible dates for a poll, moving from a vague promise that the election would take place "before the legal deadline," through information that it would be in "late 2026 or early 2027" to the latest announcement that suggests a vote could be held in October, November or December.

University students have proposed banning corrupt officials from politics and investigating their wealth. Thousands of people have rallied in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, as university students who have led more than a year of mass demonstrations pledged to continue fighting against endemic corruption during the tenure of right-wing nationalist President Aleksandar Vucic. Protesters, chanting thieves, accused the government of rampant corruption.

In the first months of Russia's full-scale invasion, his defiance and everyman image won him global acclaim and overwhelming support at home. list of 4 itemsend of list But that unity, exhausted by four years of full-scale war, has given way to a more complex mood. Now, while many Ukrainians still back him as an international figurehead, concerns about governance and corruption are reshaping his standing domestically.

Taras always resented his dark-red Russian passport and was happy to replace it with a blue Ukrainian one. But it was a process that took him 11 years and two trials. He is one of more than 150,000 Russian nationals living in Ukraine as the war with Russia continues. Most are relatives or spouses of Ukrainians or were born in Ukraine. Some are dissidents seeking refuge or volunteers with the Ukrainian army.

Technically, we will be ready in 2027, Zelenskyy told reporters, Reuters reported, adding that by the end of 2026 Ukraine will have implemented the main steps required for membership. I think the European Commission may have a slightly more nuanced view on that, given its last year's progress report pointing to some level of preparation in many areas, with only limited progress on some of the key issues, such as fight against corruption, or insufficient capacity in some areas looked at by the EU.

Brussels had some strong sentiments today about what a future peace deal between Russia and Ukraine should look like. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said she plans to send around a list of ideas to the bloc's 27 member states in the coming days, outlining what demands they believe should be put to Moscow. She stressed that the burden should be on Russia to make concessions.