Belarus

[Korzik18]

Krieger was detained in the fall of 2023 for blowing up railroad tracks, but this information has only surfaced in the media now.

Lukashenka pardoned Krieger very quickly, literally on the day of the pardon submission.

Maybe such haste is connected with this planned exchange between Russia and the West.

Events in Russia

Now, of course, everyone has paid attention to the assassination attempt on Trump, but we also have interest events I've added a link in the bold from the Hindustan Times which has indicated that "sources close to Trump suggest he's contemplating a deal with Russia regarding NATO's expansion...

cassiopaea.org

 

[thorbiorn]

August 30 is the birthday of Alexander Lukashenko, who this year celebrates 70 years
The Russian 1TV had a report at 21:00 (alternative link or link) Moscow time, showing clips from his time and work as a leader in Belarus. The description on the website is:

Alexander Lukashenko turns 70 today. 30 of them he leads the fraternal republic. The Russian leader signed a Decree on awarding the President of Belarus the highest order in Russia - St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle. During the telephone conversation, we discussed the comprehensive cooperation of our countries.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to Minsk. The President highly appreciated Lukashenko’s personal contribution to strengthening friendly ties between our countries and integration within the Union State. The Russian leader noted that he values good comradely relations that have stood the test of time.

Pavel Pchelkin - about a great politician and an extraordinary person.

The video shows pictures from his house, his visit to farms, his meetings with Yeltsin and later Vladimir Putin, difficult moments in his time as president, and clips from interviews.

Sputnik also has an article that shows pictures from his adventures into sport.

 

[Aeneas]

Thank you for that clip. Lukashenko has experienced many things and has grown in his role as a leader of Belarus. At least that is how it appears to me as a non-Russian speaking outsider having watched him over the years.

 

[thorbiorn]

On the Russian 1TV.ru they had a reportage in their 21:00 news show with a summary of and clips from a film shown on Belarus TV about the efforts that were made a few years ago to make a coup in Belarus. The effort was in part financed by sources in Ukraine, Israel, and the US. The title of the reportage was:
Belarus TV shows a film about the preparations for a military coup in the republic.
Here is a screenshot of the person who was convicted of organizing a conspiracy aiming to take state power.

If anyone with good Russian skills would like to fill in a few more details, they are most welcome.

 

[Korzik18]

If anyone with good Russian skills would like to fill in a few more details, they are most welcome.

I watched that film. Now it is interesting to see how the opposition tried to stage a coup. And it is very good that they failed, because it would have been a second Ukraine. God bless Belarus.
These conspirators are the perfect personification of wishful thinking. They believed that 10 million dollars would be enough to overthrow Lukashenko, bribe the army and make money themselves. They were convinced that they could do it, because other countries had similar successful coups initiated and supported by the United States.
Yuri Zenkovich, who is the main character of the report, has been imprisoned for almost 4 years for the preparation of the assassination attempt. He is a U.S. citizen and asks Lukashenko for a pardon to be able to return to his family. He also says he has not received any help or support from the U.S. over the years.
My thoughts: maybe this is some sort of exchange offer, like German citizen Krieger was recently exchanged for Vadim Krasikov.

YT has the video in English and German.
Here is a summary of the video:

AN ATTEMPT ON THE PRESIDENT OF BELARUS | A plan to overthrow the government | A murderous conspiracy. THE TARGET IS LUKASHENKO

00:00 Conspiracy against Lukashenko

• The radical opposition planned to kill Lukashenko.
• The operation was called "Silence" and included firing on the president's helicopter.
• It was assumed that after the victory, each region would receive its own leader.

02:08 Preparation for the rebellion

• In April 2021, the KGB detained the participants of the conspiracy.
• Yuri Leonidovich Zenkovich, one of the participants, spoke about the plans for the coup.
• The group was planning a military coup according to the Chilean scenario.

03:55 Coup plan

• Part of the forces was supposed to block Minsk, the other was to seize the residence of Lukashenko.
• It was supposed to appeal to the people with a statement on the transfer of power to the military.
• If the military refused to shoot at Lukashenko, it was planned to use radicals.

06:31 Fate of the participants

• The person who raised his hand against the head of state must be destroyed.
• There were military and civilians in the group, including Ukrainians.
• One of the Ukrainian participants, Dis, suggested that Yuri come to Kiev for interrogation.

09:28 The Lukashenko family

• The option of holding the Lukashenko family hostage was considered.
• The Group believed that a military coup was the only chance for a change of power.

10:26 Decision making

• The final decision on radical actions was made in August 2020.
• The group sought support from the army, believing that it could be loyal to the coup.

16:31 Cost estimation

• The cost of Lukashenka's liquidation was estimated at $10 million.
• The money was planned to be received from foreign organizations.
• Military and radical groups had to participate in the training.

18:47 Financing and calculations

• Negotiations were conducted with Ukraine, Israel and the United States.
• If successful, the ownership of Belarus would pass to the financing organizations.
• Military services were paid in cash through caches.

21:42 Plans after the coup

• It was planned to interne top officials of the state.
Internment meant imprisonment without trial.
• The list included Natalia Kachanova, Roman Golovchenko, Ivan Tertel and other government officials.

24:28 Separation of powers

• It was planned to create a collective government of seven people.
• The military was supposed to oversee the social sphere, the civilian - reforms.
• It was planned to create the appearance of democracy for the transition period.

25:50 Striving for power and material interests

Dmitry Shchegelsky sought power and control over the ruling elite.
• Igor Makarova was more interested in material issues than in eliminating political opponents.
• In case of coming to power, calls to Washington, Brussels and Beijing were planned.

28:27 Reorganization of the country and methods of government

• A five-year authoritarian rule was planned with a gradual transfer of power to civilians.
• The hard power was considered justified for carrying out reforms.
• Plans to block the power grid and mobile communications were considered.

29:14 Detention and prison experience

• The author recalls his detention and thoughts about possible death.
He spent three and a half years in prison and hopes for a pardon.
• Admits his mistake and apologizes to Lukashenko.

31:50 Assessment of events and admission of guilt

• The author admits his guilt and regrets his actions.
He understands that his experience could lead to the country's involvement in the war.
• Thanks Lukashenko for preventing him from being drawn into the war.

34:37 Suppression of the conspiracy and its consequences

• The conspirators planned the assassination of the president and the civil war.
• The security authorities stopped the conspiracy, preventing chaos and civil war.
• The conspirators sought chaos and privatization, which would lead to the Ukrainian scenario.

37:01 Conclusion and call for unity

Belarusians should rally around the idea of protecting the constitution and independence.
• It is important to trust your president and protect the country from external threats.

 

[youlik]

Presidential elections have been held in Belarus. The result, I think, is quite predictable and this, in this case, is not a bad thing. This time, the authorities say that no excesses are expected in connection with the election results. I wanted it to be that way. We'll see.

Polling stations closed in Belarus

MINSK, January 26 — RIA Novosti. Voting in the presidential elections of the republic has ended in Belarus, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports.
On Sunday, polling stations were open from 8:00 to 20:00 Moscow time.

A total of 5,325 police stations have been set up in the country, including 207 in hospitals, sanatoriums, rest homes and other temporary locations.
This time, Belarus did not open polling stations abroad, but created conditions for citizens of the republic permanently residing abroad and registered as consulates to vote: six polling stations (in Minsk and five regional centers) were identified for them, where they could make their choice.
As of 6 p.m. on January 26, 107 Belarusian citizens permanently residing abroad and registered as consulates voted in the presidential election. In general, according to the CEC, the turnout at 18.00 was 81.5%. Among them, 83.53% of voters voted in the Grodno region, 86.42% in Brest, 80.94% in Vitebsk, 89.05% in Mogilev, 86.69% in Gomel, 83.12% in Minsk, and 66.83% in Minsk.

Alexey Bashan, deputy chairman of the country's Central Election Commission, said earlier that the presidential elections in Belarus had already been held as of 12:00 p.m.: voter turnout was 56.64%.
Early voting in the presidential election took place in Belarus from January 21 to January 25, inclusive, with a voter turnout of 41.81%. The main voting day was held on Sunday.
In the last presidential election in 2020, 84.3% of the total number of voters participated in the vote.
Earlier, the CEC registered five candidates as presidential candidates: the current head of state Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus Oleg Gaidukevich, the leader of the Republican Party of Labor and Justice Alexander Khizhnyak, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus Sergei Syrankov and the former candidate in the previous elections, entrepreneur, non-partisan Anna Kanopatskaya.

В Белоруссии закрылись избирательные участки

Spoiler: Russian spelling

В Беларуси прошли президентские выборы. Результат, я думаю, вполне предсказуем и это, в данном случае, не плохо. В этот раз власти заявляют, что не ожидается никаких эксцессов в связи с результатами выборов. Хотелось, чтоб так и было. Посмотрим.

 

[Possibility of Being]

Lo and behold!

[link goes to Yandex translation of the whole article]

This is Magic: Belarus Received Three Airbus A330s in the Face of Sanctions​

For the first time in its history, Belarusian national carrier Belavia has started operating long-haul aircraft. The airline put its first Airbus A330 into service on June 6. Two more of these aircraft are expected to join the carrier's fleet by the end of the year. In this article, we will explore how Belavia, facing sanctions and restrictions, is expanding its fleet by acquiring Western aircraft.

Content:

• The first Belarusian Airbus
• Pushed the boundaries
• Via Gambia to Minsk
• From Africa with a smile

The first Belarusian Airbus
On June 6, Minsk airport was unusually crowded: journalists, bloggers and officials gathered for the presentation of the new aircraft of Belavia airline – Airbus A330-200.

For Belarus, this is a truly historic event for several reasons. Firstly, it is the first long-haul aircraft operated by a national carrier. Secondly, it is the first time that a Belarusian airline has started operating Airbus aircraft (previously, Belavia only operated Boeing and Embraer aircraft). Lastly, given the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the West on both Belarus and Belavia, the introduction of a foreign aircraft is truly extraordinary.

"Our enemies hoped that there would be no aviation in Belarus. We did not allow this to be done. We have become stronger and were able to purchase three long-haul aircraft under all restrictions – this has never happened before either in the history of sovereign Belarus or in the BSSR, " said Igor Cherginets, head of Belavia .

So far, only one A330 has been put into operation, but according to the Minister of Transport and Communications Alexey Lyakhnovich, "two more will appear"before the end of the year. By the way, they are already in Belarus and are currently undergoing the necessary technical improvements.

[...]

The aircraft, which will now become the flagship of Belavia, are just over 20 years old. Two of them were manufactured in 2002, and another was produced in 2003. For 15 to 16 years, these aircraft were operated by Emirates, a Dubai-based airline. Later, they were acquired by Onur Air, a Turkish carrier, and continued to fly until Onur Air's bankruptcy in 2022. After that, the aircraft were owned by Lebanon Sky Aviation, an airline registered in the UAE, where they effectively ceased to fly. Two years later, they found themselves in the fleet of Magic Air, a Gambian airline.

In August 2024, the industry publication Aviation Week reported that three Magic Air airliners had almost simultaneously left their parking lots in Cairo (one aircraft) and Muscat (two aircraft) and flew to Minsk on August 17. [...]

 

[Possibility of Being]

Of today:

Operation Harpoon: Belarus KGB Thwarts Drone Attack on Strategic Facilities

As reported by the Belarusian TV channel ONT, the country's special services, in the course of a long and painstaking operation dubbed "Harpoon", managed to thwart a drone attack being prepared on strategic facilities.

According to the TV channel, the special operation "Harpoon", which was carried out by employees of the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus (KGB RB), lasted from the summer of 2023, or to be more precise - 732 days.

During operational actions, the person who organized the potential attack on facilities in Belarus was identified and is located in another country. Which country exactly is not specified, but if we talk about the states with which Belarus has a border, then these are, in addition to Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine.

It has not yet been reported which strategic objects could have become the attackers' target, but it is worth recalling that in May of this year, the KGB of the Republic of Belarus detained one of the members of the group planning the attacks. drones to the Belarusian NPP. It was a certain Pavel Belyutin, who took part in protests against President Lukashenko back in 2020.

And in the spring of last year, Belarusian special services reported that they had managed to prevent UAV strikes being prepared from the territory of neighboring Lithuania against Minsk and its suburbs.

The whole documentary will be aired on Belorussian ONT TV this evening and supposedly also streamed on ONT's YouTube channel. For now, they have only a trailer, in Russian (or is it Belarusian?)

 

[Possibility of Being]

Watched it on YT, it's available here. If I understood correctly, not only those Belarusian "opposition activists" residing abroad were planning a terrorist attack on the Astravets NPP, but also Polish and Lithuanian intelligence agencies were involved. That attack was to be launched from the territory of Ukraine, although Polish and Lithuanian soil was not excluded. Outright stupid and irresponsible, and could could bring serious consequences from RB and/or RF.

 

[AndrewMn]

If I understood correctly, not only those Belarusian "opposition activists" residing abroad were planning a terrorist attack on the Astravets NPP, but also Polish and Lithuanian intelligence agencies were involved

You got it absolutely right! Yes, the terrorist attack was planned, including by Lithuanian and other foreign intelligence services and their curators, but by the hands of these oppositionists. By the way, the essence of this operation is really interesting. To "play along" and pretend that the KGB website has been hacked is creative, in my opinion. From my own experience of communicating with some high-ranking officials, I know for sure that strict information security controls are carried out in law enforcement agencies and government organizations. Physically, it is impossible to get any classified information through the site, since it simply has no connection with internal databases.