Contents tagged with Belarus

  • Russian soldiers start to arrive in Belarus to participate in Zapad 2017 exercises

    Personnel from the Russian Armed Forces have begun to arrive in Belarus in order to participate in special exercises in anticipation of the Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2017 maneuvers, the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported.

    “Since July 23, logistic support divisions from the Western Military District of the Russian Armed Forces have been arriving to participate in special joint exercises,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry noted.

    The Belarusian and Russian soldiers will have to jointly prepare …

  • The IMF suspended negotiations with Belarus on credit allowance

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) suspended negotiations with Belarus on the credit program in order to clarify the official policies in a number of sectors of the country, as announced on Thursday by the official representative of the organization, William Murray, at a press briefing.

    “Negotiations on the [credit] program have been suspended in anticipation of clarifying the Belarusian leadership’s policy regarding, in particular, state enterprises, housing, and communal services. Our …

  • Mother of Belarusian volunteer who fought in the Donbas asks Poroshenko to protect her son

    The mother of the Belarusian volunteer Taras Avatarov who was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in his homeland for “smuggling an explosive device” has turned to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko with a request to stand up for her son before the higher powers, Radio Svoboda writes.

    As Lyudmila Pospekh pointed out at a press conference in Kyiv, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to Ukraine will begin on July 21.

    “I’m asking for help to protect my son. My goal is not so …

  • Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: Part of Russian troops may remain in Belarus after the joint Zapad-2017 exercises

    At a joint meeting of the Military Science Council of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Viktor Muzhenko, stated that judging by the actions of the Russians, part of the troops preparing to participate in the Russian-Belarusian exercises, Zapad 2017, could remain in Belarus after their completion.

    It is likely that after the completion of the exercise, part of these troops will remain in the …

  • Belarus: Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2017 military exercises pose no threat

    The Russian and Belarusian Zapad 2017 drills planned for September pose no threat, and the media’s hype surrounding this event is baseless, said Igor Petrishenko, Belarusian Ambassador to Russia, in an interview for the TV channel Russia 24.

    “In order to rehearse certain kinds of missions, originating from the evolving situation at the western and outer borders of the Union State, we must do the relevant training and drills. And so this hype which is building up is, in our view, completely …

  • Belarusian Foreign Ministry calls Ukrainian ambassador over statements regarding 'Slavic Brotherhood' exercises

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus summoned the Ambassador of Ukraine to Belarus, Igor Kizim, in connection with his statements regarding the "Slavic brotherhood-2017" exercises.

    This was reported on the website of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.

    "The Ambassador of Ukraine was told that his statements do not meet the high level of friendly relations between the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine; they are incorrect, and contain unreasonable accusations toward the Republic of Belarus in …

  • Belarus will buy Su-30SM fighter jets from Russia

    Belarus will purchase a batch of Sukhoi Su-30SM multi-role fighter aircraft from Russia, BelTA reported with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Defense.

    "In order to update the fleet of combat aircraft, a contract was concluded with Russia on the supply of a batch of Su-30SM aircraft," the military department said.

    Belarus plans to purchase 12 planes. The price of the contract was not specified.

    Su-30SM 4+ generation fighters are developed by the Sukhoi Aviation Corporation …

  • Lukashenko is concerned about the deployment of NATO military drones near the borders of Belarus

    RIA Novosti reported that President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Minsk's concern is caused not only by the deployment of NATO military contingents at the border with the Republic, but also by the deployment of military drones.

    "The troops are tolerable. However, most modern unmanned aerial vehicles are also deployed there... they are huge, like real planes. Those are attack drones, against whom?" Lukashenko said on Thursday in Minsk at a meeting with the secretaries of the …

  • Belarus will exclude Russian rubles from gold and forex reserves

    Starting on July 1, 2017, the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB) will no longer use the national methodology for calculating the amount of its international reserves where the foreign currency reserve assets included assets in Russian rubles, as stated in a message published on the bank's website.

    After that date, the NBRB will use only the International Monetary Fund (IMF) standard, which does not consider the Russian ruble as a reserve currency.

    As of June 1, 2017, the NBRB's …

  • Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister: Belarus' dependence on Russian gas and oil is 'dangerous'

    “We have a dangerous dependence, even if it is with a friendly country. We receive 95% of our energy resources from there,” Semashko said to journalists in Minsk on Tuesday.

    He stressed that the Republic is building BelAES (the nuclear power plant) to avoid this dependence.

    Semashko expressed his confidence that there would be a significant increase in prices for natural gas in the near future. Before this happens, the nuclear power plant will be operational and Belarus will be insured …