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Crisis in Belarus

Belarusian law enforcers detain 30 protesters on August 26

Among those apprehended in Minsk was Artyom Lyava, a journalist working for Belsat TV channel, who was released at 07:00 local time on Thursday

© AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky

MINSK, August 27. /TASS/. Belarusian law enforcement officers detained 30 protesters on August 26, the tut.by website reported on Thursday.

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Over 50 detained after August 25 mass protests in Belarus

According to the website, 30 people were detained in Minsk and other regions on August 26 for taking part in protests. Among those detained in Minsk was Artyom Lyava, a journalist working for Belsat TV channel, who was released at 07:00 local time on Thursday.

There is no official data from the Belarusian Interior Ministry yet. On Wednesday, Minsk police confirmed that several protesters had been apprehended on the city’s central Independence Square.

On Wednesday evening, protesters again gathered on Independence Square. At first, police officers did not interfere with the unauthorized rally but urged people to stop it. Later on, special police force units arrived and citizens’ detentions began. According to eyewitnesses, about 20 people were apprehended.

Belarus held its presidential election on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission’s final data, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won 80.10% of the vote, whereas Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was considered to be his key rival, garnered 10.12% of the ballot. Subsequently, she refused to recognize the outcome of the polls. After the results of exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests flared up in downtown Minsk and other cities, which spiraled into clashes with police.

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US, UK special services plotting terror attacks on Russia’s bases in Syria — intel agency

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Kremlin points to a wide range of countries to host negotiations on Ukrainian conflict

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Ukraine receives first 100 mcb of LNG from United States

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Russia's energy sector, Mikhail Kovalchuk said, is the "greenest" because "everybody uses coal or something else, while Russia burns gas"

Taiwan records approach of seven Chinese PLA warplanes, five vessels

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Europe must be punished, US ignored after hybrid war between West, Russia — Medvedev

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Putin approves possibility of suspending ban on organization listed terrorist

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Russia’s FSB foils assassination attempts on defense officer, military blogger

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Press review: EU preps for gas cuts via Ukraine as China boosts naval and air power

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Finnish president says situation 'under control' after cables damage in Baltic Sea

According to Alexander Stubb, the cables were "significantly damaged"

Project 885M latest nuclear-powered submarine Arkhangelsk joins Russian Navy

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Azerbaijan Airlines states its passenger jet crashed due to external mechanical damage

Azerbaijan Airlines earlier announced the suspension of flights to several Russian cities

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"It’s a matter of luck, otherwise, if the missile deviated just slightly, it could have been on our head," Tedros Ghebreyesus told the British radio station

Ukraine's national debt reaches record $159.74 bln

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Russia says it carried out 38 strikes with high-precision weapons over past week

Russia’s Battlegroup West has repelled 25 Ukrainian counterattacks over the past week, wiping out over 3,080 enemy servicemen and destroying a German-made Leopard tank

Four people injured in Ukrainian drone attack on Novaya Kakhovka in Kherson Region

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Relative of former Syrian president detained in Lebanon airport — report

Arab news media earlier reported that Rifaat and his family moved to Lebanon after the transitional government took over in Damascus

Number of homeless people in US up to record 770,000

The surge in homelessness came amid a shortage of affordable housing, inflation, as well as a stagnating salary growth, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development said

Russia practically eliminates remnants of Ukraine’s Air Force — source

The source said that attempts to recruit more pilots in Poland and other Eastern European countries were not particularly successful

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Igor Gromyko noted that in August, Mali's transitional government announced the termination of diplomatic relations with Ukraine

Spanish coordination center orders Norwegian captain not to take Ursa Major sailors

Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center in Cartagena ordered not to take crew from vessel in distress on board as their rescue boat was on the way to the scene

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On December 27, security forces formed by the new Syrian government blocked districts of the city of Tartus, where Alawites organized riots

Family pushing for Fogel’s inclusion into next prisoner swap between US, Russia — lawyer

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The authorities of Transnistria call on the Moldovan leadership to intensify the negotiations on all platforms

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"We will continue to effectively assist Bamako in stabilizing the internal situation, including addressing the existing socio-economic challenges," Igor Gromyko emphasized

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The national debt of the US currently stands at around $36.2 trillion

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Press review: US, Israel aim to curb Turkey’s gains while Moscow, Tehran strengthen ties

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, December 24th

CIA station in Kiev targeted in recent Russian attack, military expert reveals

According to Alexander Stepanov, strikes are systematic efforts to gradually wipe out the military capabilities of Ukraine

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Powerful explosions are going off in the city, a Houthi source told TASS

Russian MFA lists nine countries set to become BRICS partners from January 1

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Houthis report attacking Santa Ursula vessel in Arabian Sea

The container ship Santa Ursula, sailing under the flag of Denmark, is bound from Spain’s Algerciras to the Omani port of Salalah, Marine Traffic data showed

Ukraine’s General Staff admits tense situation along entire frontline

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Lukashenko pardons 20 people convicted of extremism

The Belarusian president last granted pardon to more than 30 individuals convicted of extremist offenses in November of this year

Two families with children return to Russia from Syria — commissioner

An aircraft landed in the Moscow Region, Maria Lvova-Belova said

Osamu Suzuki, who headed Japanese carmaker for 40 years, dies at 94

Osamu Suzuki joined the company in 1958, when he married the daughter of one of its founders and took her last name

Scholz could make unexpected steps in relations with Russia amid German crisis — analyst

According to the analyst, Scholz's recent phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin came out of left field for the German political community

Expert offers to use navy ships to escort tankers after Eagle S incident

Alexander Stepanov believes that NATO intends to lock the Kaliningrad enclave, to lock the Russian trade fleet in Neva estuary and to simultaneously block the Leningrad naval base

Russian cancer vaccine to be free of charge — top oncologist

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New Syrian authorities do not intend to annul agreements on Russian military bases

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Ukraine loses over 250 servicemen over past day in Kursk Region, another surrenders as POW

Russia's army continues to defeat Ukrainian formations in the Kursk Region

France made several requests to Russia on Ukraine topic through private channels — Lavrov

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Roscosmos achieved significant progress in several major projects in 2024 — CEO

Yury Borisov announced that throughout next year, Roscosmos will continue working on the development of projects such as creating multi-satellite clusters, new launch vehicles, and Russia’s future orbital station

Russian fighters advance in Volchansk in Kharkov Region, force Volchya River — expert

Andrey Marochko added that Russian servicemen "start preparing the way for further advancement southwest of this locality"

Parliament impeaches South Korean acting president

The impeachment was supported by 192 delegates with at least 151 votes required

Trump's words on Greenland escalate tensions in the Arctic — Russian ambassador to Norway

Nikolay Korchunov pointed out that Greenland and Denmark are not the only Arctic Council members feeling pressure on their sovereignty, and are in a difficult position in light of possible moves by the incoming Trump administration

Kazan airport in Russia’s Tatarstan suspends service — regulator

"The air harbor is temporarily not accepting or sending flights," the statement reads

Russian Guardsmen destroy Ukrainian UAV team in Chernigov Region

The Guard’s press office said that images transmitted live from a drone confirmed the destruction of the enemy team

Pentagon mum on F-16 fighter jet downed in Zaporozhye Region

The US Department of Defense "has no statement or information to provide," a department’s spokesperson said

Slovakia ready to host peace talks on Ukraine — Prime Minister

Robert Fico noted that Bratislava would be ready and hospitable

Over 340 military officials’ cars set on fire in Ukraine over year

According to the report, the majority of these crimes occurred between Spring and Summer this year

Russian Railways tests robodogs for work on dangerous railway sections

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Scholz says he would like to hold phone talks with Putin again

The German chancellor emphasized that he didn’t plan to "send German servicemen to this war"

NATO to boost military presence in Baltic Sea following cable incidents — Rutte

Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas attributed responsibility for the Baltic Sea incidents to the tanker fleet transporting Russian oil, even before the investigation concluded

Kremlin says no comment on 'highly specialized' issue of Finland’s seizure of oil tanker

On December 25, Reuters reported that Finland’s police and border guards have detained an oil tanker, which flies under the flag of the Cook Islands, suspecting that an anchor of the vessel may have damaged the EstLink 2 cable

Russian sailors from Ursa Major freighter departed from Spain to Russia

Earlier, the embassy’s consular department provided them with all necessary papers

Russian forces repulse 25 Ukrainian counterattacks at LPR borders over week

The Ukrainian army also lost 14 tanks, 100 field artillery guns, 16 electronic warfare and counterbattery radar stations, 21 ammunition depots and almost 200 various combat vehicles in that frontline area over the past week, Andrey Marochko specified

US may face bankruptcy if situation with national debt does not change — Musk

The US national debt for the first time climbed above $36 trillion on November 15

External forces to prevent Syria’s collapse — expert

Israel "does not need this territory, as the Israelis have already taken the Golan Heights," Vitaly Naumkin said

German post-conflict presence in Ukraine should be coordinated with Russia — politician

Friedrich Merz did not provide a clear response to a question about security guarantees for Ukraine, stating that "a ceasefire is still a long way off"

Oreshnik missile systems still few, but they are enough — Putin

According to the head of state, the system's serial production has begun

Press review: Middle East may host Putin-Trump talks as experts probe Kazakhstan crash

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, December 26th

CENIPA experts arrive in Aktau to investigate plane crash

"The investigation commission held a meeting at its headquarters, where joint tasks at the aircraft incident site were established," the statement reads

Germany seen defenseless against Russia’s Oreshnik missile system — report

Bild said the German Foreign Ministry commissioned an internal government analysis on defense from ballistic missiles

Almost 37,000 tons of contaminated soil removed from Black Sea beaches

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Russian security official says Poland gave Ukraine unusable helicopters

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Russia persuades most states it is essential to address causes of Ukrainian crisis — MFA

"This position was conveyed to the leadership of a number of NATO and EU countries, including Austria, Hungary, Malta, Slovakia, the United States, Turkey, and Germany, as well as the Vatican and Switzerland in direct contacts with them at the highest and highest levels," the commentary says

Ukraine’s army reports forced retreat to ‘last defensive line’ in Donbass area

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Plane crash in Kazakhstan claims 38 lives

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