Joint appeal of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Pavel Latushka, the Coordinating Council and representatives of democratic forces to the EU H.E. Charles Michel. President of the European Council Brussels, Belgium Dear Mr. President, The Member States and governing bodies of the European Union will soon decide on the applications for EU candidate status for three new states: Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. We call upon the EU and all its members to approach this process with full understanding of the commitment of these countries to the European project and to support their applications and to reflect in the final document a European perspective for Belarus following democratic change. Among these states, Ukraine occupies a special place because it has courageously fought a just war to defend its sovereign right to freely choose its alliances, a right that Russia flagrantly denies not only to Ukraine but also to the EU. To uphold this fundamental principle, to set a precedent that no country can veto, and to recognize the role of the Ukrainian people in protecting the security of Europe, we believe that Ukraine should be granted candidate status without delay. This endorsement would maintain the momentum in keeping Europe whole, free and at peace. Ukrainians today are not only defending Europe from Russian aggression. Their bravery, resilience and determination will ensure that they win the war. The prospect of EU membership will help Ukraine win the peace that defines the future of the entire region. An independent and democratic Belarus needs a Ukraine that successfully wins and defends its statehood, identity and sovereignty. Similarly, Ukraine needs a sustainable peace order that includes predictable neighbors who will actually guarantee its security and whose policies will be guided by national interests based on international law. This means that Belarus must have a European perspective, which should also be recognized by the EU. Throughout history, Belarus has participated in and contributed to the development of European civilization. Belarusian cities were governed according to the Magdeburg Law; in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Statute of 1588, a code of laws written in the Belarusian language, introduced the principles of the rule of law and the separation of powers. Numerous attempts to cut Belarus off from Europe have failed, because it is contrary to our national interests. An illegitimate and illegal regime is trying to undermine our statehood and to destroy our national identity, but Belarusians retain a strong sense of belonging to the European family. Work is underway to institutionalize Belarus' participation in the Council of Europe to prepare for responsible democratic governance and full membership. Since the 2020 revolution, we have been steadily expanding our relationship with the EU as a natural ally of a free Belarus. We clearly see the prospects of partnership with the EU, which will be decided by the Belarusian people after the restoration of democracy in our country. As we work towards this moment, we are aware of the breadth of reforms that Belarus needs to undertake in order to restore democratic governance, and we are preparing these steps for the New Democratic Belarus. At the same time, as the EU considers applications from our region, now is the right time to also recognize and reaffirm the European perspective for Belarus. This will be the basis for conversations and decisions about the forms of interaction between the Belarusian people and the EU, paving the way for the maintenance of a secure, democratic, prosperous Europe. Electronic version of the document (pdf) ⇲

I am honored to be part of the team of people — true patriots and professionals who are sincerely committed to the idea of Belarus' liberation and who give all their time and energy to fight for the independence of our country Angelika Melnikova is a specialist in the sphere of communication, a translator and interpreter. Previously she used to be a Public Affairs and Communications Manager at a large international company in the food industry. She graduated from Minsk State Linguistic University and Belarus State Economic University. In her professional career she was responsible for the realization of projects in the field of sustainable development, including those implemented in partnership with international non-governmental organizations, as well as state authorities and government. She led the Incident Management and Crisis Resolution team at the company. At NAM, she will take on the role of Project Manager.

On June 11, the Russian occupation authorities and Lukashenko's puppet government plan to hold a big concert in Minsk on the occasion of Russia Day Considering that: 1) The Republic of Belarus has been occupied by Russia with the full assistance of the Armed Forces of Belarus and Lukashenko's puppet government serving as the occupation administration; 2) in violation of international law, bilateral agreements with Ukraine, the Constitution and the military doctrine of the Republic of Belarus, our country was used by the military aggressor Russia as a staging ground for an attack on Ukraine and is still used to launch missile and aviation strikes on the territory of Ukraine, while the puppet Lukashenko government provides all necessary infrastructure and support for this, which is a direct complicity in military aggression; 3) Russian troops and military bases are on the territory of Belarus without the consent of the people of Belarus; 4) more than 1,500 Belarusians have been detained and repressed for anti-war actions since February 24; 5) a number of detentions of railway guerrillas were carried out with particular and unjustified cruelty, namely, after the detention Russian occupants' aides shot the detainees in the knee; 6) on May 13th Lukashenko signed a law authorizing the death penalty in the form of execution for "attempted terrorist acts" in order to intimidate active Belarusians, who have hardly stopped resisting the Lukashenko regime and Russian occupiers for two years, which in the conditions of legal default unleashes the hands of the Lukashenko regime to strengthen political terror and introduce the "legalized" practice of politically motivated murders of Belarusians; 7) The number of political prisoners in Belarus continues to grow every day, and currently stands at over 1,200, some of whom have been detained since February 24th for opposing Russian military aggression, including for broadcasting data about the movement of Russian troops and equipment to the "Belaruski Gayun" telegram channel; 8) Lukashenko's puppet government has tightened its policy of Russification of Belarusians and is actively campaigning to destroy Belarusian-language publishing houses and bookstores; 9) Belarusian pro-governmental media and propaganda telegram channels are actually controlled by Russian propagandists. The National's Anti-Crisis Management categorically considers the intention of the Russian occupiers and their accomplices in the person of Lukashenko's puppet regime to celebrate Russia Day in Belarus unacceptable; strongly protests against this intention and calls upon all residents of Minsk and other Belarusian cities to boycott any events dedicated to Russia Day, actively resist their propaganda by all available means and take any other actions to disrupt the Russian occupiers' plan to hold Russia Day in Belarus. We call upon all our international partners to publicly support our position, the anti-war and anti-occupation struggle of the Belarusian people and reiterate the importance and necessity of official international recognition of the Russian occupation of Belarus, the recognition of the Lukashenko government as a puppet government and military aggressor and the Lukashenko proxy regime in order to end the Russian occupation of Belarus, withdraw all Russian troops from our country, stop using the Lukashenko regime's power and cease its existence. No to the Day of Russia in Belarus! No to the Russian occupation! No to the Lukashenko puppet regime!

Open letter from the National Anti-Crisis Management on the inadmissibility of opening Baltic ports to Belarusian potash in exchange for transit of Ukrainian grain We appeal to the governments of Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and the United States, as well as to the UN and the European Commission. We are deeply concerned by the food crisis being engineered by Putin and Lukashenka to escape some of the economic sanctions rightfully imposed on them. Putin’s army wages a full-blown, aggressive war that Europe has not seen for almost 80 years, and Lukashenka is a co-aggressor in it, pursuant to the UNGA resolution of 1974. Lukashenka’s share of the blame is not to be underestimated: the grave war crimes of Bucha and Irpen would have simply not been possible without his assistance, as all military units that participated in the siege of Kyiv arrived in Ukraine from the Belarusian territory, conveniently arranged by Lukashenka. As you are aware, the Russian navy is blocking Ukrainian ports and preventing the shipping of the grain. The Putin-Lukashenka axis alleges that the only practical option to ship the grain is via Baltic ports, and that requires rail transit via Belarus, or else a world food crisis will emerge. The price demanded for that transit: the free passage of Belarusian goods including potash via Klaipeda. First, if a crisis is emerging, the solution must be fast and scalable. However, the calculations show, that the practical throughput of that link is at most two million tons a month. This means that at least a year will be required to transport the grain in need of the shipments — without adjusting for the decreased throughput, as Belarusian potash will essentially compete for capacity with the grain. The solution taking over a year cannot be considered urgent. Second, Ukrainian grain constitutes less than 10% of the world grain exports (8.5% in 2021) — without the share already reported stolen by the Russians. Such a shortage will undoubtedly raise prices but falls short of an end-of-the-world food crisis. Therefore, both the crisis and the solution are somewhat overestimated, apparently to reach Lukashenka’s goal of relaxing the sanctions. This would be not the first crisis he engineered — just last year he shamelessly engineered a migration crisis in an attempt to influence the EU — without any regard for the lives of the affected migrants. So, allow us to dismiss this newfound concern for the hungry and call it what it is — hypocritical extortion. First, if Lukashenka wishes to save the world from starvation, he can AND MUST do it without any preconditions for the "land-locked" Ukraine. The only effective option is to talk to the dictators in the only language they understand, and that is a language of force and inevitability. Therefore, if the grain crisis is deemed credible, the only effective way would be not to give in to the dictator’s bluff, but to threaten him with immediate and severe sanctions, should he attempt to demand something in return for free passage of the grain on the established commercial conditions. Such sanctions could include, but not be limited to, freezing the remaining assets of Belarus’s National Bank, freezing correspondent accounts of all Belarusian commercial banks as well as excluding them from the SWIFT network, stopping rail links, and others. We also want to stress, that the conditions for the relaxation of the sanctions are not arbitrary. They were set forth in the US' Belarus Democracy Act and the EU decisions which include: The release of political prisoners, The prosecution of those responsible for fraudulent elections and unprecedented violence that followed, and The holding of free, fair, and transparent presidential and parliamentary elections. Notably, taking Ukrainian grain hostage is not listed among the conditions. Not only there has been no progress in a single area from the list, but as a matter of fact, the situation has worsened in all of them. The number of political prisoners has increased, those responsible for the violence have been promoted, and fair elections are further than ever after the referendum that tried to perpetuate Lukashenka’s hold on power. Releasing the sanctions based solely on the dictators' bluff, without them accepting a single demand, will have grave consequences. It will reinforce the extortionists' belief that this method of dealing with the world is productive, and, therefore, will have adverse consequences that far transcend this crisis. We urge you not to blink. Yours faithfully, Ambassador Pavel Latushka Head of the National Anti-crisis Management Member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council

Павел Латушко о загнанном в угол диктаторе В последние дни на повестку дня вновь встал вопрос о возможном участии Беларуси в войне — непосредственно в наземной операции против Украины. Давайте выскажем свои предположения на этот счет. Pavel Latushka on the cornered dictator In recent days, the issue of Belarus' potential involvement in the war — directly in the ground operation against Ukraine — has reappeared on the agenda. Let us make our own assumptions in this regard. There is no doubt that Belarus, through the fault of Lukashenko, is already a co-aggressor country. These doubts are dispelled by the bill recently submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which defines the Republic of Belarus as "a state that supports the Russian Federation in armed aggression against Ukraine by providing unimpeded access to its territory and military infrastructure facilities for military actions against Ukraine to the armed forces of the aggressor state". The proposed amendments provide for the possibility of confiscating the property and assets of the Republic of Belarus in favour of Ukraine and do not limit Ukraine’s right to demand that Belarus be held accountable, including to compensate for the damage caused by the full-scale war of aggression, which Russia, supported by Belarus, is waging against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, in violation of international law and committing crimes against humanity. In other words, reparations — compensation for the material damage caused by the war — are explicitly prescribed. In their legal justification, members of the Verkhovna Rada — the initiators of the bill — refer to the UN General Assembly’s resolution "Definition of Aggression" of 1974, which clearly qualifies actions involving the provision of one’s territory for an attack by one state on another as an act of military aggression. They also refer to Belarus' violation of its obligations in relations with Ukraine, in particular the principle of non-use of force or threat of force and the Treaty of friendship, good neighbourliness and cooperation, which absolutely excludes the possibility of aggression. For our part we can add that there have also been gross violations of the Constitution, the Military Doctrine of the Republic of Belarus and the Treaty on the State Border between Belarus and Ukraine. In our view, the authors of the bill quite rightly pointed out that "according to the norms of international law Belarus is a co-aggressor, because it voluntarily granted its territory to the Russian armed forces to commit acts of aggression against Ukraine. We have also repeatedly stressed that it was thanks to the support of the Lukashenko regime that Russian troops were able to approach Kyiv quickly and by the shortest possible route, seize the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and commit all those terrible crimes in Bucha, Irpen, Gostomel and other settlements in northern Ukraine. So is the fact that the Lukashenko regime has provided and continues to provide its infrastructure to the Russian army — missiles have been and are being flown from Belarusian territory towards Ukraine, air strikes have been carried out, the Belarusian railway has been used for attacks, and the Belarusian armed forces have provided complete assistance to the Russian aggression. Furthermore, the authors of the bill also draw attention to the use of fuel from the Mozyr refinery by the Russian occupiers — which, by the way, is still not under sanctions. To our conviction it is a serious flaw of the Western sanctions policy. We should also not forget that previously there was also evidence from the Ukrainian side about the involvement of the Belarusian Special Operations Forces in ground operations, including the "Bucha massacre". Also, news about Belarusian mercenaries who signed contracts with Russian PMCs or directly with the Russian Armed Forces involved in the occupation of Ukrainian territory is increasingly appearing. All of the above and more is the evidence of military aggression by the Lukashenko regime — "unrecognised world leadership of the Republic of Belarus" (c) — "have been recorded by the international community and is pending before the UN International Tribunal in The Hague", as stated in the explanatory note to the bill. Yes, the bill has not yet been passed. However, the very fact of its appearance in the political field tells us that Ukraine is ready to officially and legally define the role of the Lukashenko regime in the war — as a military co-aggressor, whose property and assets can be confiscated now, and from whom reparations can be demanded in the future . If this bill is adopted, all the so-called diplomatic efforts of the regime and all its false letters to the West denying its involvement in the war will be completely ruined. But should this be considered the last "red line" that has so far kept Lukashenko from directly invading Ukraine? Hardly. Moreover, we have repeatedly said that a clear position from Ukraine and the West on Lukashenko’s role in the war and really strong, maximum tough sanctions are exactly what can stop him. The worse and more hopeless his situation is, the less likely he is to risk sending the few and more or less combat-ready units to war — the Special Operations Forces, the airborne assault brigades, the OSAM. And even more incredible is sending internal units — riot police or special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Why? Because they are the ones Lukashenko’s regime relies on. But even they may not want to die for him in a real war. Therefore, the fact that Ukraine demonstrates its willingness to call things by their proper names and, more importantly, to start acting accordingly — in our opinion, will be exactly a deterrent for Lukashenko. And he himself is well aware that the decision to participate in a ground military operation is a huge risk for his regime. The risk of being left one-on-one with the Belarusian people, who hate him. Not to mention that the answer will immediately be even tougher sanctions — and not only from the Ukrainian side. And in this situation the question arises — will Putin help, will he support his puppet Lukashenko? Lukashenko has no confidence in this either. Having de facto occupied Belarus, Russia has left Lukashenko’s regime in the role of a "puppet government" - but has given him nothing but the formal preservation of Lukashenko in his chair. Russia itself gained much more — the occupied territory and infrastructure of Belarus became a springboard for an attack on Ukraine. This almost instantly completed the process of Lukashenko’s becoming an international pariah — which had lasted more than a year and a half before. It can be said that Lukashenko is now in the worst situation of his entire presidency. By exchanging the military neutrality and sovereignty of Belarus for the status of Putin’s puppet and military co-aggressor, he has deprived himself of international subjectivity and his favourite device called "multilateral diplomacy". Putin, on the other hand, continues to want more — especially after the failure of the blitzkrieg. The Kremlin insists that Lukashenko should join the war in a ground operation. But is Lukashenko ready to expose his rear so much, for the sake of his Kremlin puppeteer? As a dictator, no, he isn’t. After all, it is a question of his survival. The fact is that understanding Lukashenko’s position, the Kremlin today speaks to him exclusively in the language of ultimatums. In fact, now it is a question of keeping Lukashenko in power or not, depending on the expansion of its involvement in the war. Yes, the occupant Russia has not yet abolished the existing structures of governance in Belarus. However, the second person in the same Security Council is a Kremlin appointee, General Alexander Volfovich. And as it is known, the Security Council is the very structure, which will take over all the power in case something happens to Lukashenko. It is also known that the Kremlin considers the Secretary of the Security Council, General Volfovich, to be a possible alternative to Lukashenko. Therefore, on the one hand, it does not seem that Lukashenko has any choice at all but to follow Putin to the end and engage in the ground part of the war against Ukraine. On the other hand, Lukashenko understands that if he sends loyal units capable of carrying out combat missions to the war, he is left one-on-one not only with the Belarusians, but also with Volfovich — and therefore with Putin. Defenceless, with a bare rear. That is why he, as Ukrainians say, is trying his best "to backtrack". It has even come to a direct statement by Lukashenko that a scenario which is unfolding in Ukraine today is the one that has not been implemented in Belarus: "Looking at Ukraine, we understand that a scenario is unfolding there that has not been implemented on our soil. When we ask a question, what would happen to us, please look at Ukraine. We understand the level of threats, the activity of which has only shifted to the territory of a neighboring country." It is important to understand that Lukashenko is a dictator to the bone. Nothing is more important and valuable to him than power. The threat to maintain it is more acute than ever. And today this threat is most serious from the East. So, will Lukashenko follow his master to the end, expose his rear — or will he still risk betraying Putin? Will Ukraine and the West buy such a betrayal — and how will the Kremlin react to it? And how will we, the Belarusians, make use of it? Perhaps, that is the main question today. And it is necessary to find the answer as soon as possible. Therefore, our priority task is to create the National Liberation Movement of Belarus.

Pavel Latushka and responsible for cultural issues in the National's anti-crisis Management Natalya Zaderkovskaya held a meeting with the leadership of the Polish National Institute of Museum and Collection Protection (NIMOZ). An agreement was reached with the director of the institution Piotr Majewski and deputy director Bartosz Skaldawski on advisory support of the Museum of Free Belarus in the process of its organization and preservation of museum collections, as well as information support of the Belarusian project, including the largest museum portal of Poland muzealnictwo.com The National Institute of Museology also offered to find a Polish state museum partner for the Museum of Free Belarus to establish permanent institutional relations. The conversation touched on the issues of repressed and forced to leave Belarus Belarusian museum workers. To their attention, the Institute offers the possibility of grant support and also informs about training courses organized by NIMOZ. Follow the news about the admission to the upcoming courses on the NAM channel and on the Institute's website. For our part, we invite Belarusian museum workers, repressed and in Poland and other countries, to cooperate in the creation of the Museum of Free Belarus. You can send your suggestions to the chat-bot @NAUsupport

Pavel Latushka had a conversation with the head of the group on relations with Belarus, Deputy of Sejm Robert Tyszkiewicz and Deputy of Sejm of Poland Michal Szczerba During the conversation was emphasized the importance of information work in the Polish society aimed at avoiding the identification of the citizens of Belarus, who were forced to leave the territory of Belarus and Ukraine as a result of mass repression by the Lukashenko regime and aggression against Ukraine, with the Belarusian dictatorship. During the meeting it was agreed to hold a meeting in the Sejm of Poland in the near future on the status of refugees for Belarusian citizens who were forced to leave the territory of Ukraine and the provision of assistance by the Polish authorities to refugees to Belarusians. Pavel Latushka also sent a corresponding appeal on this issue to the Marshal of the Sejm and the Government of Poland.

European Union’s indecisiveness in comma arrangement means lack of will in decision-making The paradox of the current situation is that Lukashenko’s participation in the aggression against Ukraine and his support for Russia’s actions have led to the fact that citizens of Belarus in European countries, with the exception of Poland, are treated on a par with citizens of the Russian Federation. In other words, citizens of Belarus, on the one hand, do not support Lukashenko’s actions and, on the other hand, have become victims and hostages of the regime’s policy on the territory of the European Union. Today, it is possible to say directly that the European Union and its member states, without, probably, having any intention to do that, have taken hostage the most active part of the Belarusan civil society that opposed the rigged elections, violence in Belarus, and the war. Citizens of Belarus often face the situation when they cannot solve basic social problems, with refusals to rent accommodation, to find a job, to open a bank account, to make a payment, to start or continue their business. Refusals without explanations, as "no comments" are often said, have become examples in the life of many Belarusians. At the same time, we do not hear from leading politicians in the West a very clear narrative that they perceive Lukashenko and his regime as complicit in the aggression against Ukraine. We do not hear any of the leading leaders of Germany, France, other countries or the leadership of the European Commission state clearly and unambiguously: "Lukashenko is guilty of the crimes committed before the war against the Belarusian people and which he continues to commit today, and he is guilty of aggression against Ukraine" - and for that he will be brought to justice. Why is it possible to assert his guilt even without a conviction? Only because Lukashenko himself has repeatedly publicly admitted to committing criminal acts against Belarusians, as well as launching missile strikes, providing infrastructure in the war against Ukraine, supporting his ally — Russia. We often talk about double standards. Now, this double standard is manifested in its ugliest form, consisting in the fact that Belarusians suffer from the illegal actions of Lukashenko’s regime, while the initiator and perpetrator of these illegal actions himself remains, as it were, in the shadows. Therefore, the National Anti-Crisis Management’s campaign "Punish Putin’s Puppet" is one of the key tasks for our team. If you want, it is a key task for the whole democratic Belarusian society — to bring to justice a man who gave orders to kill Belarusians in the streets of Belarusian cities, to beat and torture them in prisons, to dismiss them from their jobs and force them to leave the territory of Belarus; a man who continues doing it every minute, every hour, every day, not stopping, but only increasing his repression; a man who usurped power in the country and unleashed together with Russia a war against Ukraine. This is where the double standard comes in. Are there no political leaders left in Europe, able to say it clearly and distinctly and not only to say it, but to do it so that this madness, recklessness, lawlessness, immorality cease to exist in the very center of Europe. Only Belarusians are responsible for their future and the future of our country. But Europe is responsible for continuing communication with the international criminal. Pavel Latushka, head of the NAМ 25.05.2022

By tradition, we publish the original analytical notes Analytical note of the National Anti-crisis Management The consequences of the sanctions imposed against Lukashenko's regime are more and more difficult to hide behind the administrative retention of the national currency rate and brave statements of officials that the sanctions motivate them and strengthen the Belarusian economy. The official data of Belstat show that industrial production for April 2022 has decreased by 10.6% compared to the same period last year. And in April, Prime Minister Golovchenko was not so rosy about the prospects of BMZ, MTZ and MAZ, which are looking for a place to sell the accumulated stock of $1.5 billion, the very same that used to be exported to the EU, the U.S. and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Grodno Azot has stopped exporting its products altogether and works only for the domestic market. The regime consistently accuses the democratic forces of inflaming the situation and considers this the only reason for imposing sanctions. It does not admit publicly, but it understands perfectly well that the sanctions are obvious consequences for the murders of peaceful Belarusians, torture, arrests of leaders of independent trade unions, mass repression, hijacking of an airplane, artificially created migrant crisis on the border with the EU, and complicity in the aggression against Ukraine. We are concentrating on working on sanctions that do not affect the savings of Belarusians, but rather even save the savings of generations in the form of gold and foreign exchange reserves, which today are spent in vain by the economists of the regime. Our goal is to significantly influence the financing of the regime and its repressive apparatus. First of all, we are talking about freezing the reserves of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, correspondent accounts of state-owned banks and funds of the International Monetary Fund. We also pay special attention to the possibilities of circumventing the sanctions, as long as they exist, the sanctions do not work to the full extent and do not have a proper impact on the situation. The regime is using the loopholes for its own enrichment, capitalizing on companies that left Russia but remained in Belarus, and continuing to escalate the war in Ukraine, as critical components for the military-industrial complex continue to flow to Belarus and from there to Russia. Economic pressure on Lukashenko's regime should be timely, effective, and targeted. This will allow not to stretch the sanctions in time and minimize the side effects affecting the savings of Belarusians. Only in this case the sanctions are able to achieve their goal in a short time - to force the regime to stop repressions against the Belarusan people and complicity in the war against Ukraine, as well as to force it to fulfill the conditions for lifting the sanctions that are well known to the regime: release of all political prisoners, cessation of repressions, bringing to justice those guilty of brutal repressions, withdrawal of Russian troops, and holding new elections under the supervision of the OSCE. Traditionally, we publish the original analytical notes we submit to the competent authorities of the European Union and the United States of America, with the exception of matters requiring confidentiality. We do it to show Belarusans the vector in which we work on economic pressure on Lukashenko's regime. And you can see the result of this work in the already adopted and planned packages of sanctions, as well as in the depressing data, which even Belstat can no longer hide, and in the way the rhetoric of regime officials is changing.

Open address by Pavel Latushka, head of the National Anti-Crisis Management to UN Secretary General António Guterres Dear Secretary-General, On 18 May 2022, the so-called Permanent Representative of Belarus to the United Nations handed you a letter from the dictator and war criminal Lukashenko. As head of the National Anti-Crisis Management and member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council of Belarus — the internationally recognised structures of the Belarusian democratic forces — I cannot let this fact go unnoticed. I am appealing to you personally and publicly — so that I can be heard by you, Your Excellency, Ukrainians, Belarusians and our international partners. After all, today all of us, albeit to a different extent, are victims not only of the lies and manipulations of the Lukashenko regime, but also of its concrete criminal actions, which we simply have no right to turn a blind eye to. Nor do we have the right to allow another lie by the Lukashenko regime to give him even the slightest opportunity to escape responsibility. And all the more so to find support in the leadership of the most respected international organisation — the United Nations. Trying to present himself as a supporter of peace and denying his own involvement in the aggression against Ukraine, Lukashenko declares in his letter: "Today the world forgets that the Belarusians have never been a threat to any of its neighbours. <…> We are not aggressors, as some states try to present us. Belarus has never initiated any wars or conflicts. He writes you that "Belarus sincerely and steadfastly remains committed to the task of reconciliation as soon as possible". However, these words encapsulate yet another attempt by the dictator to manipulate the facts by distorting reality. This is precisely why the democratic forces in Belarus have been calling for the people of Belarus to be separated from the criminal Lukashenko regime since the beginning of the war. Yes, Belarusians do stand for peace and against the war. A war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine with the full assistance of the Lukashenko regime, a pro-Kremlin puppet regime which allowed Russia to occupy Belarus, turned it into a bridgehead for an attack on Ukraine and provided this attack with all the necessary logistical and infrastructural support. And it continues to perform these functions to this day. Neither missile nor air strikes on Ukrainian territory from the territory of Belarus have ceased. Furthermore, there are more and more statements from the Ukrainian side about the involvement of the Belarusian SDF in ground operations, including the "Buchan massacre". And also about Belarusian mercenaries who have signed contracts with Russian PMCs. We do not know for sure how many Belarusian military personnel fighting on Russia’s side we can talk about. But we do know for sure about more than 630 missiles fired at Ukraine from the territory of Belarus. We know exactly from which Belarusian airfields air strikes are carried out against Ukraine. And we know for sure that without Lukashenko’s help all those nightmarish atrocities would not have happened in Bucha, Irpen, Gostomel and Borodianka — because it was from the territory of Belarus that the troops that took part in the siege of Kyiv region entered Ukraine. I should also remind you that Lukashenko himself publicly denies these events, calling them "a fake" and a "psychological special operation. But we do know the facts. And we also know for sure that the absolute majority of Belarusians are against the war. We know for sure that thousands of Belarusians have become volunteers, who fight for Ukraine and pay with their lives for its freedom today and for the freedom of Belarus tomorrow. We know that Belarusians are against aggression, against occupation, against the presence of Russian troops, military bases and missile systems in our country. Belarusians are against the dictatorship of Lukashenko’s regime, with whose consent and participation our country has become a co-aggressor in the war with our brotherly Ukraine. And for each of these "against" more than 1,500 Belarusians have been detained and repressed since the beginning of the war. More than 60 Belarusians were detained for active resistance to the war. Some of them were shot in the knees after detention. So who represses Belarusians for their anti-war stance and protests? Who gives orders to shoot them in the knees for daring to oppose the war? The one who stole the elections from the Belarusians on 9 August 2020 and who has not stopped mass repression, arrests, torture and even murder for a single day since then. He, because of whom more than 1200 officially recognised political prisoners are in Belarusian prisons today — but in reality this figure is much higher and it is growing every day. The one who on 23 May 2021 committed an act of state-sponsored air piracy by forcing a Ryanair plane to land in Minsk and taking 2 hostages. The one who unleashed hybrid aggression against the European Union, setting up an artificial months-long migration crisis on the borders with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine. The one who has personally confessed that on February 23, 2022 the first missile strike was launched exactly from the territory of Belarus, 6 hours before the beginning of the war, on the territory of Ukraine. And finally, the one who on May 8, 2022 wrote you a lying and hypocritical letter to the last letter, the sole purpose of which was to avoid sanctions and responsibility for all his crimes. Yes, it’s all one man. Alexander Lukashenko. A dictator and a murderer, a puppet of the Kremlin and a war criminal. And I am sure that you understand very well: the hands that have written you this letter are up to their elbows in blood — both of Belarusians and Ukrainians. So you cannot fail to understand that the decision to lift even part of the sanctions imposed on the Lukashenko regime for massive human rights violations, crimes against humanity and war crimes, which it has committed and will continue to commit while in power, is a betrayal of the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples, a betrayal of the ideals of democracy and regional security interests, it is condoning all its crimes and military aggression. Lukashenko writes to you that "Perhaps this is the moment of truth for the UN, for which we have cherished and developed this organisation for almost 8 decades". And this is the only thing I can agree with him on. It really is the moment of truth and a chance for the leadership of the United Nations to take a principled stand towards war criminals and make real efforts to stop them once and for all.

There is one man in Europe who has been in power even longer than Vladimir Putin. Alexander Lukashenko. There is one man in Europe who oppresses and torments his people even more than Putin. Alexander Lukashenko. There is one man in Europe, who managed to crush all the internal opposition to his dictatorial rule even more successfully than Putin. Alexander Lukashenko. I appeal to Western leaders to apply the same standards of sanctions and accountability to Putin's only ally in this terrible war with Ukraine — Alexander Lukashenko. It is time to punish Putin's puppet. Hold him accountable for his crimes against the people of Belarus and the people of Ukraine. I call on Western leaders to launch a criminal investigation into Alexander Lukashenko for the terror he has inflicted on the people of Belarus by torturing and harassing them, and the terror he has inflicted on the people of Ukraine by giving Belarusian territory to the Russian army to attack Ukraine. Article by Pavel Latushka in the English edition of "The New European"

Representative of the NAM took part in "Mission to Peace" Global Summit, dedicated to resolving military conflicts Vladzimir Astapenka, the Head of the NAM deputy took part in the Global Summit "Mission to Peace", organized in Dubai (UAE) by the largest private news agency WION (India). At the summit, invited experts presented a detailed analysis of the current situation in the world and offered their answers to questions related to the resolution of armed conflicts, trade and digital restrictive measures, as well as ensuring global security in light of the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The speakers of honor at the 5th session of the Global Summit included Abdullah Shaheed, President of the United Nations General Assembly; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former President of Iran; members of parliaments and governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ukraine, and Estonia; and representatives of the analytical and business communities from India, Ireland, UAE, Japan, and Zimbabwe. In his speech, Vladzimir Astapenka stressed the importance of protection of democratic values, including the right of people to freely elect bodies of power, to ensure international security. The experience of Belarus shows that the lack of effective mechanisms of international legal accountability for violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms leads to the commission of crimes against humanity and acts of international terrorism by the dictatorial regime. Lukashenko dragged Belarus into a war with Ukraine, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Belarusians oppose such aggression. Vladzimir Astapenka is convinced that only the governments, formed with due regard for democratic principles, can conduct a responsible foreign and domestic policy and be accountable to civil society. Only on this basis should the global security architecture be developed.