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Crisis in Belarus

Criminal case opened against Belarusian opposition for attempt to seize power

Commenting on the setting up of the Coordination Council by a group of Belarusian citizens, the country's prosecutor general said that the creation of such bodies is unlawful

© Natalia Fedosenko/TASS

MINSK, August 20. /TASS/. The Belarusian Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a criminal case into calls for seizing power after the opposition set up the Coordination Council, it told TASS on Thursday.

"Yes, we confirm that a criminal case has been opened into that [the creation of the council] under Section 361 of the Criminal Code," the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

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It provides for responsibility for "calling for actions aimed at causing damage to the national security of the Republic of Belarus." It implies liability in the form of imprisonment for up to 5 years.

Commenting on the setting up of the Coordination Council by a group of Belarusian citizens, Prosecutor General Alexander Konyuk said that "the creation of such bodies is not provided for by law, and their activities are unconstitutional." He also noted that "a number of citizens who realized that their actions were illegal, announced their withdrawal from the council and said they disagreed with its action program." "The creation and activities of such a body are aimed at seizing state power and causing damage to the security of the Republic of Belarus," he stressed.

The creation of the Coordination Council was initiated by ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on August 14. She refused to recognize the outcome of the presidential election announced by the Central Election Commission, according to which incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won 80.10% of the vote, whereas Tikhanovskaya, who was considered his key rival, garnered 10.12% of the ballot. Tikhanovskaya fled Belarus. According to latest reports, she is currently in Lithuania. The opposition headquarters earlier said that the council’s objective would be to ensure the transition of power in Belarus.

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Canada neglects its sovereignty by approving transfer of land mines to Kiev — diplomat

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Viktor Orban asserted that the government’s mission is to prevent Hungary from being dragged into the Ukrainian conflict

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Russia hit Ukrainian military-industrial facility in response to use of Western missiles

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Russia fires ballistic, non-nuclear-tipped missile at Ukrainian aerospace plant — Putin

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No Western sanctions to limit Russia’s foreign trade — minister

All restrictions that Western countries impose affect themselves in the first place, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov added

Putin orders protection of critical infrastructure, including Crimean Bridge — Kremlin

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"The US continues to benefit from the Ukrainian crisis, regardless of which administration is in power," Andrey Sushentsov said

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Russia counts on West's responsibility in nuclear deterrence issues — Kremlin

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Russian troops advance in areas north, south of Velikaya Novoselka in DPR — official

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Biden's decision to use ATACMS on Russia threatens to kill Americans — Tucker Carlson

The journalist also criticized US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (a Republican representing the state of Louisiana) for "not even mentioning it in public or in leadership meetings" with factions in the lower house of Congress

ATACMS missiles unlikely to keep Kiev from losing conflict — American expert

Daniel Davis also noted that "continuing to ignore reality" would only increase "the ultimate cost of losing" the conflict for Ukraine

Zelensky begs ‘for his country to be flattened’ — US journalist

"Ukraine should be forever grateful that President Putin is calm, rational and kind - because Zelensky is practically begging for his country to be flattened," American political commentator Jackson Hinkle said

Lukashenko tells Putin situation is "starting to get tense with Wagner"

The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

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Russian troops raise flag in central Kurakhovo in Donetsk region — politician

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Russia to address NATO’s engagement in strikes deep inside country — SVR

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US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller also declined to discuss the presumed first strike on Russia with the missiles

Putin’s Q&A session and press conference to be held on one of December Thursdays — Kremlin

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Ukrainian special services assemble unit for sabotage attacks in Kupyansk — official

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According to Lisnyak, local residents report that Ukrainian military personnel are stealing furniture, transformers, construction materials and humanitarian aid remaining in the settlements, and then selling it to private business owners

Moscow won’t allow US to silence UNSC as Washington backs Israel — Russian UN envoy

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the Security Council should "bring peace, stability and prosperity to the Middle East"

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The United States continues to modernize its nuclear triad, Lin Jian noted

Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine makes defeat over its army impossible — SVR chief

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Kremlin condemns report on Storm Shadow missile use against Russian targets as escalation

Dmitry Peskov chose not to respond to a question about whether Russia has proof that UK-made Storm Shadow missiles had been used against it

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It is pointed out that Simion’s popularity has propelled him to number two in the polls after Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu

Ukrainian frontline may 'collapse' under onslaught of Russian forces — BBC

According to the experts, Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s borderline Kursk Region turned out to be a "strategic catastrophe" amid "manpower shortages"

Ex-German chancellor never expected Russia to tolerate Ukraine’s NATO membership — memoir

Angela Merkel added that another fallacy was the belief that the status "would act as a deterrent," and that Moscow "would accept these developments without taking action"

Putin confirms Russia’s readiness to assist CAR with security challenges

"Both leaders exchanged views on regional issues, focusing on the fight against the terrorist threat and ensuring stability across the Central African Republic," the statement reads

Ukrainian conflict acquires global elements after strikes with Western missiles — Putin

It is reported that the conflict in Ukraine, provoked by the West, has acquired elements of global nature

Japanese lawmaker praises Putin's restraint amid decision to strike deep into Russia

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed that the US administration had lifted restrictions for US-supplied missiles to be used for strikes up to 300 kilometers inside Russia

Russian air defense deflects attacks with Western missiles — Putin

"As a result, the goals that the enemy apparently set have not been achieved," the Russian leader said

FACTBOX: What is known about UAV attacks on Russian regions

During the night, air defenses intercepted and destroyed two Ukrainian UAVs in the skies over the Rostov and Volgograd regions

French Foreign Ministry refuses to disclose number of SCALP missiles shipped to Ukraine

Ministry Spokesman Christophe Lemoine also avoided answering if Paris supports strikes with these missiles on Russian territory, only saying that the missiles were shipped to Ukraine, and Ukraine

Captives, Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

Over the day, the enemy lost more than 150 people, while five Ukrainian servicemen surrendered

US admiral says Washington should be ready for talks with Russia, China

The Department of State and other US agencies "should continue to engage our competitors in real and substantive dialogue," Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan said

US Senate refuses to block arms supplies to Israel

More than 60 out of 100 senators voted against the three corresponding resolutions, while 17 legislators supported them

Press review: Uranium costs soar as Moscow updates nuclear doctrine and US OKs attacks

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US decision on missile strikes aimed at provoking Russia, expert says

According to Andrey Sushentsov, Biden is under pressure from Washington’s allies and "the hawks" in his government who believe that the US is not providing enough support to Kiev

US Congressman urges to impeach Biden for allowing strikes deep into Russia

"By authorizing long range missiles to strike inside Russia, Biden is committing an unconstitutional Act of War that endangers the lives of all US citizens," Thomas Massie said

Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

According to th statement, London is promoting new rounds of escalation

Japanese lawmaker urges global condemnation of decision on missile strikes on Russia

Muneo Suzuki described Joe Biden’s decision as "dangerous and provocative"

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Jeremy Corbyn called for de-escalation of the situationin Ukraine and the search for a diplomatic solution to achieve peace

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Tit-for-tat measures will be implemented after receiving information about unfriendly actions of Western countries, Anton Siluanov noted

Russian forces push Ukrainian troops 10 km away from Lisichansk in LPR — expert

Russian troops have taken new lines and positions northwest of Zolotaryoka as a result of successful operations

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According to Andreas Kluth, the decision on ATACMS may have been another attempt by the current Washington administration to provide Ukraine with support until the president-elect comes to power

UK police say no video evidence of Russians’ involvement in Salisbury case

According to the report, CCTV cams were not installed on Christie Miller road in Salisbury

US makes mistake by destroying INF Treaty — Putin

The Russian leader stressed that the United States made a mistake by unilaterally destroying the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019 under a far-fetched pretext

Press review: US lets Kiev use anti-personnel mines and Iran may halt uranium enrichment

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Biden's decision on missile strikes on Russia is his 'last gasp' — Japanese lawmaker

Earlier, Muneo Suzuki emphasized on his blog that the decision that this decision by Biden on the tail-end of his presidency looked like "a last gasp"

Russia’s reaction to Austrian OMV’s failure to pay for gas justified — MFA

The company stated it would seek damages amounting to 230 million euro for failing to receive the contracted volume of gas from the Russian company for delivery to Germany

US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention