Belarus

MINSK, February 1. /TASS/: An observation mission representing the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) has started monitoring a nationwide referendum on amending and expanding Belarus' Constitution after receiving accreditation from the Central Election Commission.

"Today, we accredited the first three representatives of the CIS observation mission," Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Belarus Igor Karpenko noted.

MINSK, January 28. /TASS/: Russia is Belarus’ main partner and it has no intention of absorbing the republic, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during his address to the Belarusian people and parliament on Friday.

"Our number one partner is Russia with whom we are consistently moving along the path of economic integration. Practically half of our products are being exported to this country," he noted. "According to the most modest estimates, the growth of Belarus’ GDP will amount to more than 2% only accounting for integration with Russia," he added.

MINSK, January 25. /TASS/: Belarus needs to create a task force to protect its border with Ukraine where the situation is no more straightforward than at the border with Poland, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.

MINSK, January 21. /TASS/: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned the West against attacking the Union State.

"We do not want war. Neither us, nor the Russians. But we build our security in order to protect ourselves. Should they not simply keep poking us constantly, but deploy their armies against us, threaten us, then we will hit so hard it won’t be pretty. It is impossible to defeat us," he told journalists Friday, adding that "this is not a threat, merely a warning."

MINSK, January 12. /TASS/: Polish serviceman Emil Czeczko, who escaped to Belarus, informed investigators of the murder of over 240 refugees at the Polish-Belarusian border, the Belarusian Investigative Committee announced Wednesday.

"During the criminal case investigation, Emil Czeczko disclosed that he and his fellow servicemen had participated in organized murders in the border area and near the settlement of Siemianowka, Poland, starting on June 8, 2021. According to the serviceman, he is aware of murder of over 240 people," the Committee said in its Telegram channel.

MINSK, January 5. /TASS/: The crews of Belarusian and Russian Su-30SM fighters conducted their first joint air patrol of the Union State's borders this year, the Defense Ministry of Belarus reported on Wednesday.

"The Belarusian and Russian pilots flying Su-30SM multirole fighters conducted their first joint air patrol of the Union State’s borders this year. The pilots spent 120 minutes in the air, covering a distance of over 1,150 km during their patrol," the ministry said in a statement.

MINSK, January 5. /TASS/: The crews of Belarusian and Russian Su-30SM fighters conducted their first joint air patrol of the Union State's borders this year, the Defense Ministry of Belarus reported on Wednesday.

"The Belarusian and Russian pilots flying Su-30SM multirole fighters conducted their first joint air patrol of the Union State’s borders this year. The pilots spent 120 minutes in the air, covering a distance of over 1,150 km during their patrol," the ministry said in a statement.

MINSK, January 3. /TASS/: An excursion bus carrying 40 Russian citizens collided with a car in Belarus’ Vitebsk Region, the car driver died and bus passengers were injured in the accident, the Belarusian Investigative Committee said in a statement on Monday.

"As a result of the accident, the driver of the car died, while the passengers and the bus driver were hospitalized with injuries. There were four children among the injured," the statement says.

26 Dec 2021; MEMO: Belarus has reportedly forced Syrian refugees to return to Syria despite being wanted by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, in an effort to rid itself of the thousands of asylum seekers trafficked to the country in recent months.

MINSK, December 20. /TASS/: A Belarusian diplomat was hurt in an attack on the republic’s embassy in London on the evening of December 19, the press office of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry reported on Monday.