This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMOSCOW — After waves of post-election protests in Belarus against the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko, the opposition appeared to get a boost Friday as its self-exiled leader called for rallies in every corner of the country.Svetlana Tikhanovskaya — whose campaign said she was earlier in the week — resurfaced in a video from Lithuania calling for peaceful weekend protests "in every city."She later announced the formation of a council to ensure the transition of power if Lukashenko were toppled and to...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMOSCOW — After waves of post-election protests in Belarus against the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko, the opposition appeared to get a boost Friday as its self-exiled leader called for rallies in every corner of the country.Svetlana Tikhanovskaya — whose campaign said she was earlier in the week — resurfaced in a video from Lithuania calling for peaceful weekend protests "in every city."She later announced the formation of a council to ensure the transition of power if Lukashenko were toppled and to...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareBelarusan President Alexander Lukashenko has easily won reelection, according to official preliminary results released Monday, but the outcome has been widely disputed amid opposition accusations of vote-rigging.The news, though expected, sparked protests late Sunday. Police violently dispersed the demonstrations with tear gas and water cannons. The opposition vowed to continue protesting the official results, while Lukashenko promised a “proper response.”“We won’t allow the country to be torn apart,” he said, according...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareBelarusan President Alexander Lukashenko has easily won reelection, according to official preliminary results released Monday, but the outcome has been widely disputed amid opposition accusations of vote-rigging.The news, though expected, sparked protests late Sunday. Police violently dispersed the demonstrations with tear gas and water cannons. The opposition vowed to continue protesting the official results, while Lukashenko promised a “proper response.”“We won’t allow the country to be torn apart,” he said, according...WW…

LOTSKYNE, Ukraine — When the Russian soldiers came to town, they went door to door confiscating residents’ guns, cellphones and sometimes even their homes. They asked everyone to identify the “Nazis” in the neighborhood, also referring to them as “Banderites” — a group of Ukrainian nationalists formed during World War II.Then, in one southern Ukrainian village, the Russians stormed through the front yard of a 59-year-old math teacher and took him away in their armored vehicle, his wife said.Tatiana Bozhiko said they accused her husband, Serhii, of sympathizing with Ukraine’s right-wing Azov...…LOTSKYNE, Ukraine — When the Russian soldiers came to town, they went door to door confiscating residents’ guns, cellphones and sometimes even their homes. They asked everyone to identify the “Nazis” in the neighborhood, also referring to them as “Banderites” — a group of Ukrainian nationalists formed during World War II.Then, in one southern Ukrainian village, the Russians stormed through the front yard of a 59-year-old math teacher and took him away in their armored vehicle, his wife said.Tatiana Bozhiko said they accused her husband, Serhii, of sympathizing with Ukraine’s right-wing Azov...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMOSCOW — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was ordered to spend the next 32 months in prison Tuesday, as he defiantly denounced President Vladimir Putin and said his supporters will not be intimidated by widening Kremlin crackdowns.Hours after the verdict, protesters heeded Navalny's call. Several thousand people marched through central Moscow and St. Petersburg, chanting "Russia without Putin" and "Freedom." Riot police detained hundreds of people and beat some in the crowd with batons, according to video posted...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMOSCOW — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was ordered to spend the next 32 months in prison Tuesday, as he defiantly denounced President Vladimir Putin and said his supporters will not be intimidated by widening Kremlin crackdowns.Hours after the verdict, protesters heeded Navalny's call. Several thousand people marched through central Moscow and St. Petersburg, chanting "Russia without Putin" and "Freedom." Riot police detained hundreds of people and beat some in the crowd with batons, according to video posted...WW…