Alexander Lukashenko

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko kisses a traditional Russian bread upon his arrival at Kazan International Airport for the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Ekaterina Chesnokova/Photo host brics-russia2024.ru via AP)

Belarus sets a Jan. 26 election that’s almost certain to extend its authoritarian leader’s rule

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press

FILE – Belarus opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova stands behind bars in a defendants’ cage in a court in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 4, 2021. (Ramil Nasibulin/BelTA pool photo via AP, File)

Imprisoned Belarus activist who was a symbol of defiance hasn’t been heard from for months

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to schoolchildren at Independence Day celebrations in Minsk, Belarus, on July 3, 2020. (AP Photo, File)

In Belarus, the native language is vanishing as Russian takes prominence

Associated Press

In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko addresses the media after voting at a polling station, in Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. Lukashenko was believed a few years ago to be considering whether to lead the new body after stepping down, but his calculus has apparently changed, and he announced on Sunday that he will run in next year's presidential election. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP)

Belarus’ election reinforces authoritarian leader’s rule despite opposition’s call for a boycott

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press

FILE - Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo prior to a session of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Belarus’ authoritarian leader has attended a meeting with children from Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine, openly defying an international outrage over his country’s involvement in Moscow’s deportation of Ukrainian children. President Alexander Lukashenko spoke during a meeting on Thursday marking the arrival of a new group of Ukrainian children ahead of the New Year holiday. (Konstantin Zavrazhin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

More Ukrainian children from Ukraine’s Russia-held regions arrive in Belarus despite global outrage

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press

In this handout photo from the Viasna Human Rights Center, Leanid Sudalenka, an activist from Belarus, holds portraits of imprisoned journalists Larysa Shchyrakova and Yauhen Merkis, in Belostok, Poland, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Sudalenka, who was imprisoned for three years in Belarus, said authorities there hold political prisoners in conditions amounting to "torture." He told The Associated Press that when he was in a Belarusian penal colony, he nearly died from COVID-19 and a lack of medical care. (Viasna Human Rights Center via AP)

Belarus political prisoners face abuse, no medical care and isolation, former inmate says

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during their meeting in Sochi, Russia, on Sept. 15, 2023. More than 2,400 Ukrainian children aged 6-17 have been taken to Belarus from four regions of Ukraine that are partially occupied by Russian forces, a study by Yale University has found. The study, released Thursday by the Humanitarian Research Lab of the Yale School of Public Health, found that “Russia’s systematic effort to identify, collect, transport, and re-educate Ukraine’s children has been facilitated by Belarus," and is “ultimately coordinated” between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

More than 2,400 Ukrainian children taken to Belarus, a Yale study finds

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during their meeting in Sochi, Russia, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Putin meets the leader of Belarus, who suggests joining Russia’s move to boost ties with North Korea

Associated Press

FILE - A woman holds a Belarusian passport as she waits her turn to cast a vote in the Belarusian presidential election, outside the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020. Belarus’ authoritarian president banned citizens from renewing their passports while staying abroad, which could force those who fled the country amid growing repression to return to maintain their travel documents. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

Belarus bans citizens from renewing passports abroad, spreading fear among those who fled repression

Associated Press

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during his meeting with foreign correspondents in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday, July 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) **FILE**

Belarus president threatens nuclear strike if faced with NATO ‘aggression’

By Mike Glenn - The Washington Times

In this handout photo released by Belarusian Presidential Press Office, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, and China's Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, right, speak during their talks in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (Belarusian Presidential Press Office via AP)

China’s defense minister promises to boost cooperation with Russian ally Belarus

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk prior to the Supreme State Council of the Union State Russia-Belarus meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 6, 2023. Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto the doorstep of NATO’s members in Central and Eastern Europe. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

U.S. sanctions against Belarus, calls Putin ally Lukashenko ‘fraudulent’ leader

By Guy Taylor - The Washington Times

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during his meeting with foreign correspondents in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday, July 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) **FILE**

Belarus president wants Wagner Group Russian fighters for his army

By Mike Glenn - The Washington Times

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk prior to the Supreme State Council of the Union State Russia-Belarus meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 6, 2023. Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto the doorstep of NATO’s members in Central and Eastern Europe. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus ramps up saber-rattling

Associated Press

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 15, 2023. The first phase of Ukraine’s counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory after more than 16 months of war began weeks ago without fanfare, and apart from claiming that its troops are edging forward, Kyiv has not offered much detail on how it’s going. (AP Photo/Libkos, File)

Putin claims Ukraine offensive has ‘failed’ as advances to force Russian invaders out incremental

By Guy Taylor - The Washington Times

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrives to attend a meeting with foreign correspondents, in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, July 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Artist who dumped manure at Belarusian president’s office dies in prison, wife says

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press

In this handout image taken from a video released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, May 5, 2023, the head of Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin stands in front of multiple bodies lying on the ground in an unknown location. A week after the mutiny raised the most daunting challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s rule in over two decades, key details about the uprising remain shrouded in mystery. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File)

Biden to send cluster bombs to Ukraine as coup leader reportedly returns to Russia

By Mike Glenn - The Washington Times

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with foreign correspondents, in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, July 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Belarus says Wagner chief who staged mutiny is in Russia, raising questions about Kremlin’s strategy

By Anna Frants - Associated Press

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, right, sits inside a military vehicle posing for a selfie photo with a local civilian on a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023, prior to leaving an area of the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin incited a rebellion against Russia's military leaders and marched with his troops toward Moscow but aborted his mutiny when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brokered an agreement that included exile for the warlord in Belarus. (AP Photo, File)

Recapping the revolt in Russia, through the words of 4 presidents and a mutinous warlord

By Vanessa Gera - Associated Press

This handout photo taken from video released Tuesday, June 27, 2023 by Belarus' Presidential Press Office, shows Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko delivering his speech during a ceremony presenting the general's epaulettes in Minsk. President Alexander Lukashenko, a close Putin ally who brokered a deal with Prigozhin to stop the uprising, didn't immediately address Prigozhin's fate in a speech Tuesday. Lukashenko framed the insurrection by Wagner as a significant threat, saying he placed Belarus' armed forces on a combat footing as the mutiny unfolded. (Belarusian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Belarusian leader approved forced transfers of Ukrainian children, says opposition figure

By Yuras Karmanau - Associated Press