Belarus

MINSK (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday accused Russia of lying about the presence of Russian security contractors in Belarus and said unnamed forces were trying to carry out a revolution but would fail.

Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is up for re-election on Sunday and faces his biggest challenge in years amid public anger over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and human rights.

MINSK, August 3. /TASS/: Belarusian human rights activists said that the conditions for the presidential election campaign in the country were unequal, with the authorities often hampering events held by the incumbent president’s top rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a report posted on the website of the Viasna human rights center (not registered by the Belarusian Ministry of Justice) said.

MINSK, August 2. /TASS/: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will deliver his annual state-of-the-nation address on August 4, his press secretary Natalia Eismont said on Sunday.

"Nothing has been postponed," BelTA agency quoted her as staying. "Both houses of the parliament will open their sessions on August 3, as scheduled. Lawmakers and senators will address procedural matters, discuss the current agenda. On the following day, August 4, as planned, the head of state will address the nation and the National Assembly."

MINSK (Reuters) - Belarus suspects a group of more than 30 Russian mercenaries it detained of planning “acts of terrorism” in the country, Belarusian Security Council State Secretary Andrey Raukov said on Thursday.

Up to 200 mercenaries are still in Belarus and law enforcement agents are looking for them, Raukov told reporters.

MINSK, July 29. /TASS/: Russian citizens apprehended in Belarus are employees of the "Wagner Private Military Company," BelTA state news agency reports, citing law enforcement agencies of the republic.

According to the news agency, 32 people, whom BelTA calls private military company employees, were apprehended in a holiday center in Belarus Wednesday; one more man was detained in southern Belarus, the report says. An inspection into the apprehended is underway.

MINSK (Reuters) - Belarusian law enforcement detained 32 people working for a foreign private military group near Minsk overnight, the Belta news agency reported on Wednesday.

The agency gave no more details.

Private military companies are illegal in Belarus, which is holding a presidential election on Aug. 9.

MINSK, July 17. /TASS/: Belarus always was and still is a close and native country for Russia, President Alexander Lukashenko said.

MINSK, July 15. /TASS/: The nationwide campaign race leading up to the August 9 presidential election in Belarus kicked off on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the country’s Central Election Commission (CEC) registered five candidates. They are to submit their campaign platforms to the media selected by CEC until July 19.

MINSK (Reuters) - The Belarusian election commission declined on Tuesday to register President Alexander Lukashenko’s two most prominent opponents as candidates for a presidential election next month, all but ensuring victory for the leader in power for 26 years.

Viktor Babariko, a banker who was detained last month, was excluded from the ballot because of a criminal case against him, the election commission said. Valery Tsepkalo, a former ambassador who runs an office park for tech companies, was also rejected, after signatures on a supporting petition were nullified.

MINSK, June 19. /TASS/: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the issues between both states are not catastrophic and can be solved.

Before the meeting, Lukashenko held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We really did have an honest and kind conversation, although some think that tensions are sparked between us — this is not true, there are always some issues," the Belarusian leader noted. "I think we will solve them. These are not catastrophic issues."