Sep 28, 2026
President Donald Trump announced the U.S. is working on a deal to purchase potash fertilizer from Belarus at lower prices than Canada currently provides, pivoting toward a Russian ally amid deteriorating trade relations with Canada. The move has drawn criticism given Belarus's role in supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus released 25 political prisoners following negotiations with President Trump's special envoy John Coale, who met with authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. The US lifted some sanctions in return, continuing a series of prisoner-for-sanctions deals since Trump's second term began.
Units of Russia's 101st Missile Brigade equipped with Oreshnik intermediate-range missile systems have been stationed in Belarus, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. Despite the deployment, Ukrainian officials assess the immediate threat level remains low.
Latvia announced the discovery of a tunnel under its border with Belarus on Tuesday and vowed to combat people smuggling networks that authorities say are facilitating a growing number of illegal border crossings.
Austrian authorities dismantled an international network in which a Vienna-based company supplied equipment for Russian missile and fighter jet engines through shell companies across multiple countries, violating EU sanctions. The scheme used intermediaries in Turkey, UAE, Hong Kong, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Poland, Lithuania, and Spain to circumvent sanctions imposed in 2022.
Russia imported nearly 30,000 metric tons of refined fuels from South Korea in late July and record-high volumes from Belarus, as Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries have caused widespread fuel shortages and forced Moscow to seek emergency imports.
Latvian soldiers used tear gas and fired one warning shot into the air after five or more migrants attempting to enter from Belarus acted aggressively and threw logs toward troops, according to the Latvian army. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said attempted crossings had recently doubled, without providing exact figures, and described the situation as a hybrid threat.
Russia is pushing Belarus to take a more active role in the Ukraine conflict, while the Kremlin accuses Kyiv of threatening Belarusian sovereignty after Ukraine demanded removal of signal relay stations used to guide Russian attacks. The developments come as Putin claims readiness for peace talks following Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Russian officials claim a bus transporting a Belarusian youth football team was hit by a drone in Russia's Bryansk border region, alleging Ukrainian responsibility. Ukraine has denied conducting any operations in the area.
Robert Kuzovkov (also known as Semyon Skrepetsky), a 44-year-old exiled Russian artist who openly criticized Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was shot and killed in Biała Podlaska, Poland. Two Belarusian men have been detained in connection with the killing.
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 11 entities and three individuals based in Iran, China, Belarus, and the United Arab Emirates for facilitating Iran's acquisition of weapons components, including materials for Shahed drones and ballistic missiles.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a friendship treaty during meetings in Pyongyang, with Lukashenko gifting Kim a gun. The agreement marks what officials called a 'fundamentally new stage' in relations between the two Russia-aligned states.
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large scale military invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces advanced from multiple directions, including from the north through Belarus, as well as from the east and south, striking military targets and entering Ukrainian territory.