Contents tagged with Belarus
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Belarus denies entry to six Lithuanian MPs
Six Deputies from the Lithuanian Seimas that were invited to take part in the discussion "Regional Security and Exercises West 2017" on September 11th in Minsk were refused a Belarusian visa. The Belarusian authorities have not commented on this decision yet.
As the Co-Chairman of the Round Table Committee, the leader of the United Civil Party (UCP), Anatoly Lebedko, told Deutsche Welle that throughout the day on September 8th, the final decision on the Lithuanian deputies was postponed …
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Ukraine strengthens its borders ahead of Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2017 military exercises
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) will intensify guarding the borders during the Zapad 2017 joint Russia-Belarus military exercise, as stated by Oleh Slobodyan, an assistant to the head of the SBGS.
According to Slobodyan, Russian troops began to arrive in Belarus before the beginning of the exercise. Therefore, "it is necessary to control the situation."
"We started command and staff exercises during which the border line was fortified in all directions without exception, …
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Muzhenko: Russia’s Zapad-2017 military exercises threaten NATO
The Zapad 2017 exercises have a broader context than it has been announced by Russia. They have the goal of preparing the Russian forces for offensive action, and are a threat both to NATO and to the states of the post-Soviet space, stated Viktor Muzhenko, Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
“We are considering various scenarios of enemy action, including offensive action,” he noted.
According to …
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Putin and Lukashenko to inspect Zapad-2017 joint military exercise
The Presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, respectively plan to visit together the strategic Zapad (West) 2017 exercise, which will include large-scale maneuvers from both armies. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Vladimir Putin explained to Izvestia newspaper that the two presidents intend to visit one of the training grounds in Russia.
The joint Russian-Belarusian strategic exercise Zapad 2017 will be held from September 14 to September 20, 2017. According to …
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Belarus: hype around Zapad-2017 military exercises incomprehensible
Belarusian Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Oleg Belokonev called the excitement around the Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2017 exercises, which will be held in September, incomprehensible. He assured that the Russian group participating in the exercises in the territory of the Republic of Belarus would return to Russia by September 30, BelaPAN news website reports.
"The exercise will allow us in practice to improve infrastructure sharing arrangements in the interest of ensuring the …
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Ex-Candidate for the presidency of Belarus arrested in Minsk
The leader of the Belarusian National Congress and former Belarusian presidential candidate Mikola Statkevich was arrested, as reported by his wife Marina Adamovich. "Mikola was arrested today at about 12 pm, not far from home, when he was going to a meeting," she wrote on Facebook. According to the wife of the activist, he was taken to a temporary detention center on Okrestin Street in Minsk. In early August, the court sentenced Statkevich in absentia to administrative arrest for 15 days for …
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Ukraine sends observers to Zapad 2017 Russian-Belarusian military exercises
Two Ukrainian observers will go, by invitation, to Belarus to monitor the Zapad (West) 2017 military exercise, according to a statement of the Office of Public Relations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The statement was published on Wednesday on the page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces on Facebook.
"The Ukrainian side confirms the fact that Ukrainian representatives were invited to monitor the West 2017 military exercises, which are to be held on the territory of the Republic of …
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Belarus: Representatives of 7 countries will be present at Zapad-2017 military exercise
Belarus invited representatives of seven countries and six international organizations to the Belarusian-Russian military exercise Zapad 2017 in the fall of 2017, as reported by the Ministry of Defense of Belarus on its website.
The report emphasizes that "monitoring of the exercise has been organized in strict accordance with national legislation and international treaties."
"Building on the practice of good-neighborliness and reciprocity, within the framework of the OSCE Vienna Document …
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Turchynov: During Zapad-2017 military exercises Kremlin will test its army’s readiness for war with West
During the Zapad (“West”) 2017 exercises, the Kremlin will test how ready Russia is for a major war with the West, said NSDC (National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine) Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov.
According to him, it has been officially declared that the exercises will involve roughly 13,000 military personnel, including roughly 3,000 from the Russian Armed Forces, and roughly 280 items of weaponry and military equipment and 25 items of aviation equipment. Aside from the armed …
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Russia to give Belarus $700 million loan ‘to strengthen friendly relations’
This year Russia will lend Belarus $700 million. As follows from the Russian government’s directive published on the official legal information portal, Minsk will be obligated to repay this loan in 10 years.
The funds will be allocated “towards the goal of further strengthening friendly relations” for the repayment of loans issued previously by Russia.
Minsk must make repayments twice a year, on April 15 and October 15, over 10 years. The payment amount will grow from 2.5% of the amount …