Unexploded bombs, shells, and mines not only threaten human life in Ukraine but also risk rendering swaths of fertile farmland unusable for years, the Red Cross said on May 16. Remnants of the war that has been raging since Russia's invasion in February 2022, as well as the drawn-out conflict that began in 2014 with Russia's annexation of Crimea, have left Ukraine among the most mine-littered countries in the world. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that mines and unexploded shells in the Ukrainian countryside could have serious long-term implications for agriculture, a vital part of the country's economy.

Belarus has banned citizens facing "political charges," top officials, and law enforcement officers from traveling abroad. The law, made public on May 16, applies to top officials and law enforcement officers immediately, and for those facing charges of disobeying police orders, violation of regulations of holding of public events, and other similar offenses will take force in December. The law also bans persons whose travel abroad "contradicts the country's national security" from leaving Belarus. The details of that category were not immediately available. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.

Ukraine has removed barriers to the export of some agricultural commodities, imposed last year to prevent food shortages, in a bid to boost foreign currency income, the government said on May 16. The country introduced export licenses in 2022 to protect food supplies after agricultural production was hit by Russia's invasion. The requirement for export licenses will be lifted for live cattle, frozen cattle meat, chicken meat, eggs, rye, oats, and millet. The European Union on May 2 set restrictions on imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed to ease excess supply to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

Sebija Izetbegovic, the wife of the former Muslim member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, was fired from her position as a professor at Bosnia's top medical school last month, Sarajevo University head Rifat Skrijel told RFE/RL on May 16. Skrijel said Izetbegovic was fired on April 24 after she was stripped in quick succession of her master's and doctoral degrees, as well as her title of professor in recent weeks. Doubts over her academic credentials surfaced in 2021, when no proof of her passing the exams needed for her titles could be found in university archives in Croatia, where she said she had graduated. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.

At least 16 people have been killed and three were wounded in armed clashes triggered by a dispute over the ownership of a coal mine in northwestern Pakistan, police said. The gunfight between the Sunni Khel and Zarghoon Khel tribes occurred in Dara Adam Khel, a district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province that contains the region's largest coal deposits, police spokesman Fazal Naeem told RFE/RL. The fighting started as the two tribes gathered to try and settle the decades-long dispute. Coal mining is an essential source of income for people living in the district. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.

Police in Russia's Tatarstan region have searched the homes of three rights activists, Vera Otreshko, Zulfia Sitdikova, an unspecified member of the unregistered Libertarian party, and the home of journalist Nailya Mullayeva. Police said the searches in Tatarstan's capital, Kazan, on May 16 were linked to a case against a person identified as P. Chumakov, who is charged with discrediting the Russian armed forces in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. According to police, the activists and Mullayeva are officially "witnesses" in the case, while Otreshko and Mullayeva said they do not know anyone with the last name Chumakov. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.

Scholars at the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences say another noted physicist, aerodynamics expert Valery Zvegintsev, was arrested in April on a treason charge. In an open letter dated May 15, the scholars said two other physicists from the same institution, Anatoly Maslov and Aleksandr Shiplyuk, were arrested on the same charge last year. The letter stressed that the arrested scientists are innocent and the ongoing crackdown on scholars in Russia will harm the country's performance in science. Since January 2023, at least 21 treason investigations have been launched in Russia. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol as a special presidential envoy, South Korea's presidential office said on May 16. Zelenska is visiting South Korea to participate in a media conference. In an interview with South Korea's Yonhap news agency published on May 16, Zelenska expressed a willingness to invite Yoon to her country, saying such a visit would be "very supportive" to Ukrainians. South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, has said it was not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia.

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has released a video containing instructions for Russians disappointed or angry about the Kremlin's war on Ukraine and life under President Vladimir Putin on how to share valuable information with U.S. intelligence anonymously and securely. "The CIA wants to know the truth about Russia, and we are looking for reliable people who can tell us this truth," the video on Telegram says. "Your information may be more valuable than you think." The video has also been shared on other social media, including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Executions around the world rose to their highest number in five years in 2022, with Iran driving the spike, offsetting hopes raised by the abolition of capital punishment in six countries, among them Kazakhstan, according to Amnesty International.

In its annual report on the death penalty released on May 16, the rights group said that "disturbingly," 90 percent of the world's 883 confirmed executions outside China were carried out by just three of the 20 countries known to have carried out capital punishment last year.

All three were in the Middle East, led by Iran, which saw executions soar to 576 in 2022 -- a year marked by massive nationwide protests in the country over deteriorating living conditions and the government's suppression of basic human rights -- from 314 the previous year.

Iran was followed by Saudi Arabia, where executions tripled from 65 in 2021 to 196 in 2022 -- the highest recorded for that country by Amnesty in 30 years -- while Egypt executed 24 individuals.

Amnesty said that given the opaque data from several countries that have the death penalty, figures on the use of capital punishment are minimum figures and "the true overall numbers are likely to be higher."

As in previous years, Amnesty did not include executions in China in its figures, even though Beijing implements capital punishment more than any other country. It says that the true extent of the usage of the death penalty there is unclear because the data is considered a state secret. Nonetheless, the report said executions were believed to be in the thousands.

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"Countries in the Middle East and North Africa region violated international law as they ramped up executions in 2022, revealing a callous disregard for human life," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary-general.

"The number of individuals deprived of their lives rose dramatically across the region; Saudi Arabia executed a staggering 81 people in a single day. Most recently, in a desperate attempt to end the popular uprising, Iran executed people simply for exercising their right to protest," she added.

Iran has been wracked by unrest that have posed the greatest threat to the Islamic republic's cleric leadership since the revolution that brought it to power in 1979.

Rights groups have accused Tehran of using executions to "instill fear" among the public to help quell protests that gained momentum following the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, who was in police custody for an alleged hijab violation when she died.

The Amnesty report noted that executions resumed in five countries last year, including Afghanistan, while the recorded number of people executed for drug-related offenses more than doubled in 2022 compared to 2021.

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Drug-related executions are in violation of international human rights law, which states that executions should only be carried out for the "most serious crimes" -- crimes that involve intentional killing.

"In a cruel twist, close to 40 percent of all known executions were for drug-related offenses. Importantly, it's often those from disadvantaged backgrounds that are disproportionately affected by this callous punishment," Callamard said.

"It's time for governments and the UN to up the pressure on those responsible for these blatant human rights violations and ensure international safeguards are put in place," she added.

Despite the jump in executions, Amnesty said it saw "a glimmer of hope" as six countries abolished the death penalty either fully or partially.

Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, and the Central African Republic abolished the death penalty for all crimes last year, while Equatorial Guinea and Zambia abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes only.

As of December 2022, 112 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes and nine countries had abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes only, Amnesty said.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Myanmar, North Korea, State of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, the United States, Vietnam, and Yemen all carried out executions in 2022, Amnesty said in the report.

Russia launched an "exceptionally dense" series of overnight drone strikes on Kyiv that were largely repelled by the Ukrainian air defenses, officials said early on May 16, as Moscow appeared to step up its air attacks on multiple locations in the eastern region of Donetsk, where the heaviest fighting has been taking place for months.

The uptick in Russian air activity came amid expectations of a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy completed a European tour that resulted in more pledges for military backing from allies in Rome, Berlin, Paris, and London.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensives, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Serhiy Popko, the head of the capital's military administration, said the drone attack -- the eighth targeting Kyiv since the start of this month -- was "exceptional in its density," involving the maximum number of drones "in the shortest period of time."

Popko said that the attack was unsuccessful, with most of the drones "identified and destroyed" by air defenses.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that three people were wounded during the attack.

Separately, Russia overnight launched at least 18 missiles, mostly from the air, on various targets in Ukraine, but all of them were shot down by Ukraine's air defenses. the Air Force Command reported on May 16.

It said the attack was three-pronged, coming from the north, south, and east and started at 3:30 a.m. local time.

Along the front line in Donetsk, 48 air attacks were registered over the past 24 hours, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its daily report on May 16.

The military said that Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka continued to be the theater of the fiercest fighting in Donetsk, where 49 combat operations took place over the past 48 hours.

On May 15, four civilians were killed in a Russian missile attack on an Avdiyivka hospital, regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Zelenskiy on May 15 said in a video recorded on the train as he traveled back to Kyiv that he was returning with new defense packages, including "more ammunition, stronger weapons for the front, more protection for our people, more political support."

Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak discussed in London on May 15 a fighter jet coalition that would train Ukrainian pilots on modern warplanes, which he said was a very important because Ukraine currently cannot control the sky.

Ukraine has previously raised the idea of a fighter jet coalition and pressed the United States to join.

Zelenskiy said after his visits with European leader he felt "extremely positive" about the chances of forming the coalition and said there would be "important decisions" in the near future.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said Britain and Poland had agreed to join the coalition.

"Britain -- yes. Poland -- yes. And I am sure France and other partners will join," he said in the video.

French President Emmanuel Macron said later in an interview that France was open to training Ukrainian fighter jet pilots in France and that those training programs could start right away.

Most Western countries, including the United States, have resisted Ukraine's requests for fighter jets over concerns about escalating the war.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged a former employee of the U.S. Consulate in the far eastern city of Vladivostok with illegal covert collaboration with foreigners, the state news agency TASS reported on May 15. TASS quoted a law enforcement agency source as saying Robert Shonov had been detained in Vladivostok "after interrogation" and was being held in Moscow's Lefortovo prison. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said it was aware of the reports but had "nothing further to share at this time."

The head of Ukraine's Supreme Court, Vsevolod Knyazev, has been detained for allegedly taking a bribe. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said on May 16 investigators and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) "exposed large-scale corruption in the Supreme Court." Presidential adviser Serhiy Leshchenko said Knyazev was detained while receiving a $2.7 million bribe. Knyazev has been the head of the Supreme Court since December 2021. The court said details on the situation will follow later in the day. There was no immediate comment from Knyazev. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.

The United States is seeing more indications that Russia and Iran are expanding a defense partnership in a way that will help Moscow prolong its war in Ukraine, the White House said on May 15.

Russia is looking to purchase more advanced drones from Iran, while at the same time Iran is looking to buy "billions of dollars of military equipment" from Russia, including aircraft and other military hardware that increase the security threat to Iran's neighbors, said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

"This is about a burgeoning defense relationship...that goes both ways," said Kirby, adding that Washington is exploring more sanctions on Iran.

"We are using the tools at our disposal to expose and disrupt these activities, and we are prepared to do more," Kirby told reporters.

Drones are the primary military help Iran is providing to Russia, which is seeking to acquire advanced level types, he said.

Iran announced two months ago that it reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia. Iranian state media said Iran had asked a number of countries to explore the possibility of selling it fighter jets, and Russia had given a positive response to the request. Details of the deal were not disclosed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran last July, stressing closer ties between their two countries in the face of Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but says they were sent before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Moscow denies that its forces use Iranian-built drones in Ukraine, although many have been shot down and recovered there.

Iran's air force has only a few dozen strike aircraft, including Russian jets and aging U.S. models acquired before the Iranian revolution of 1979.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Relatives and supporters of three detained Iranian protesters have rallied outside the prison in Isfahan where they are being held in a desperate bid to halt their possible executions.

Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeid Yaqoubi were implicated in an incident on November 16, 2022, during which two Basij paramilitary force members and a law enforcement officer were fatally shot in the central Iranian city of Isfahan.

The clash occurred at the height of widespread protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September while she was in police custody for allegedly breaking Islamic hijab rules.

Family and supporters of the trio on May 14 warned authorities of the Islamic republic that if the executions are carried out, unrest would grow. Late into the night they chanted slogans such as "This is the last message: If you execute, it will be the day of uprising."

Videos surfaced online showing Isfahan residents joining the protest with their vehicles, blasting their horns and creating roadblocks around the central prison in a show of solidarity with the detainees.

Mohammad Hashemi, a cousin of Kazemi, said on Twitter that based on the information he had received, the three protesters could be executed as early as May 15. As of evening on May 15, It was not clear whether the detainees had been executed.

The Daadban Legal Advisory Center has reported that the three have maintained their innocence despite forced confessions broadcast on the Islamic Republic Television.

Amnesty International issued a warning on May 12 that the three detainees face an "imminent risk of execution" following the Supreme Court's confirmation of their execution sentences.

It added that Kazemi, in an audio file sent from Isfahan Central Prison, had spoken of being subjected to torture and repeated violence since his arrest as authorities tried to extract forced confessions.

Iran has seen a surge in executions in recent months, a trend that has drawn widespread domestic and international condemnation.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on May 9 called the statistics "frightening" and demanded a halt to executions by the Islamic republic. He said Iran has executed an average of 10 people per week this year.

Human rights activists say authorities in Iran are using the executions to try to "instill fear" in society rather than to combat crime.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iranian authorities have arrested eight people for allegedly leading a workers' strike over wages at a key gas site in the south of the country, local media reported on May 14.

The deputy local governor, Akbar Pourat, reported the arrest of the eight labor activists in the South Pars region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) allegedly apprehended the individuals, whom Pourat called "rioters and strike leaders."

Some 40,000 people are employed at the South Pars/North Dome megafield, the largest known gas reserve in the world, which Iran shares with Qatar.

The arrests come at a time when the rate of wage increase for workers and employees lags behind the country's soaring inflation rate, which officially stood at 46.5 percent at the end of March. Wage growth is estimated at only half the rate of inflation, leading to increased discontent among the workforce.

Pourat claimed the labor strikes were organized and supported by networks outside the country, though he gave no evidence to back up the accusation. Throughout the current social and economic unrest rattling the country, Iranian authorities' have tried to blame foreign influences for the dissent.

Iran's economy has been ravaged by U.S. economic sanctions, leading to a surge of occupational protests in several cities. A report from Iran's Labor Ministry indicated a significant increase in the country's poverty line, growing 50 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year.

Currently, the South Pars projects employ about 40,000 people. Sakhavat Asadi, the managing director of the Pars Energy Special Economic Zone, recently threatened that striking workers would be replaced.

Unrest has rattled Iran since last summer in response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support. Labor law in Iran does not recognize the right of workers to form independent unions.

Adding to the dissent, the death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly breathed new life into the demonstrations, which officials across the country have tried to quell with harsh measures.

The activist HRANA news agency says more than 500 people have been killed during the unrest, including 71 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.

Thousands have been arrested in the clampdown, with the judiciary handing down harsh sentences -- including the death penalty -- to protesters.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Moscow’s state-run Tretyakov Gallery Arts Museum to hand over the country's Trinity icon, by medieval painter Andrei Rublyov, to the Russian Orthodox Church. The church said on May 15 that the decision was made after "multiple requests by believers." Last year, the arts museum gave the icon to the church to use in a religious event. The move was criticized by the museum's curators, who said the icon was damaged in 61 places when it was returned. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

A presidential plane bought by Tajikistan from Mexico last month for $92 million has arrived in Dushanbe. Nomadic Aviation Group in the United States said on May 14 that the plane left the city of San Bernardino that day. Data from the Flight Radar website showed the plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, arrived in the Tajik capital on May 15. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that the plane he inherited from his predecessor was sold to the poor Central Asian country in April. Tajikistan has not commented on the purchase yet. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.

Bulgarian chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev has refused to step down, tearing up his resignation letter on national television and attacking unnamed rivals in parliament as "political trash."

"I will finish my mandate," the 52-year-old Geshev told reporters on May 15. "I am not afraid."

Geshev's actions came amid rising pressure for him to resign following allegations by opponents that an explosion near his car earlier this month described as an assassination attempt was staged.

Prosecutors from the Supreme Judicial Council subsequently launched dismissal procedures against Geshev for "damaging the image of the justice system" by disseminating allegedly false information and meddling with the investigation into the May 1 blast near his vehicle.

Prime Minister nominee Mariya Gabriel from the center-right GERB party, which recently won a narrow victory in an extraordinary election, said last week that her future justice minister would initiate proceedings for Geshev's dismissal.

Geshev, who has not commented on the incident involving his car, said on May 15 that he was being attacked by "the political mafia, oligarchy, and organized crime," and claimed former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov was behind the pressure for him to resign. Borisov, who leads GERB, has denied the allegation.

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Geshev, who has served as chief prosecutor since late 2019 and is slated to remain for a seven-year term, said he has worked "only and exclusively" for Bulgaria and the security of Bulgarian citizens, but that upon his return from the United States on May 14 he had been advised by an unidentified individual to tender his resignation by the morning of May 15.

He claimed his family was mentioned and that he was told if he did not resign, videos against him would be published.

Geshev also said that last month he had received an offer, which he was told came from Borisov, to start a political career or to take an ambassadorship in Israel or Turkey. Borisov has denied making such an offer and said he was not in a position to do so.

Bulgarian media and prosecution officials have said Geshev and his family narrowly escaped when an explosive blew up near his car on a remote road.

But Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev and Borislav Sarafov -- a Geshev deputy who also heads the country's National Investigation Service -- said Geshev was traveling alone at the time of the explosion and that his armored SUV did not sustain any damage.

On May 15, Geshev demanded Sarafov resign, saying that if his deputy refuses he will file a request with the Supreme Judicial Council to have him removed.

Observers have suggested that supporters of Geshev within GERB may have turned against him following the May 1 incident. The GERB party is currently in talks to form a coalition government that could end a lengthy political stalemate that has resulted in five general elections in two years.

President Rumen Radev on May 15 handed Gabriel the first exploratory mandate to form a government. Under the constitution Gabriel has seven days to propose the Council of Ministers. If she is unable to form a government, Radev will hand the mandate to the second-largest parliamentary group, the pro-European We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition.

With reporting by AFP

A Siberian court has sent to pretrial detention a man suspected of setting an out-of-service Su-24 military plane on fire at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant in early May. The Lenin district court in Novosibirsk ruled on May 15 that Viktor Skorobogatov must stay in pretrial detention until at last July 12 on a charge of arson aimed at destroying an industrial facility and damaging Russia’s defense capability. Since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, hundreds of arson attacks have been reported, mostly targeting military conscription centers. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.

Russian artist Ivan Volkov told RFE/RL on May 15 that he has been sentenced to five months of "correctional work" for creating a snow sculpture in January 2022 in the form of a giant feces near the Field of Mars in the city of St. Petersburg, where those who died in the 1917 Russian Revolution are buried. Volkov was charged with desecrating a burial place after he created the 5-meter-long snow sculpture, painted it brown, and drew yellow around it. "Correctional work" in Russia means the garnishing of significant amounts of the convicted persons' monthly salary by the state. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities. click here.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on May 15 that Dmytro Firtash, a powerful tycoon indicted by the United States for corruption, along with managers of companies under his control had been served with "notices of suspicion" of embezzlement.

According to the SBU, the damage Ukraine's State Treasury suffered from the embezzlement activities allegedly committed by Firtash’s group in Ukraine's gas transit system are estimated at up to 18 billion hryvnyas ($484 million) between 2016 and 2022 as part of a "large-scale scheme."

Regional gas suppliers owned by the 58-year-old allegedly paid the state operator of the Ukrainian pipeline network for only around 30 percent of the gas taken, the SBU said.

"Effectively we are talking about the embezzlement of money from ordinary Ukrainians who paid their utility bills," the statement said.

Group DF, one of the companies under Firtash’s control, said it “firmly and categorically” denies all allegations.

Group DF said in a statement that recent series of searches, criminal cases, and the dissemination of “groundless suspicions and accusations by the SBU lack any legal foundation.”

Firtash, once an ally of ousted Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych, resides in Austria. He is wanted in the United States for bribery and racketeering charges in India. The United States has asked Austrian authorities to extradite him. He has denied wrongdoing and has fought extradition.

Ukraine has sought to reduce the political influence that some businessmen have enjoyed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The European Union has also made tackling corruption a priority for Kyiv as it tries to join the bloc.

Ukraine imposed sanctions on Firtash in June 2022, accusing him of selling titanium products that Kyiv said ended up being used by Russian military enterprises. Firtash at the time denied the allegations.

The sanctions against Firtash and his Group DF include an asset freeze, ban on capital withdrawal, revocation of licenses, restriction of resource transit, and other restrictions.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Evghenia Gutul of the pro-Russia Shor party has won the regional leader election in Moldova's Gagauzia autonomous region. Gagauzia's Central Election Commission said on May 15 that the 37-year-old Gutul beat her 36-year-old rival, Grigori Uzun, of the Socialist Party in a runoff held on May 14. The head of the Shor party, Ilan Shor, is currently in Israel evading arrest. Last month, a court of appeals in Chisinau doubled the original 7 1/2-year sentence that Shor was handed for his involvement in the theft of funds from three of Moldova's largest banks. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, click here.

Self-exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called on the Belarusian public and international community to "be prepared for every scenario" as Minsk and state media have avoided coverage of rumors that Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka is ill.

"There are many rumors about the dictator Lukashenka's health," Tsikhanouskaya, a prominent Lukashenka critic and political opponent, wrote on Twitter on May 15. "For us it means only one thing: we should be well prepared for every scenario. To turn Belarus on the path to democracy and to prevent Russia from interfering. We need the international community to be proactive and fast."

The comments by Tsikhanouskaya, who has claimed that Lukashenka stole victory from her in Belarus's presidential election in 2020, come as speculation has risen that the long-serving authoritarian leader is ill.

Meanwhile, the BelTA state news agency in Belarus reported on May 15 that Lukashenka is visiting the central command point of the country's air forces, where is being briefed on the operations of anti-aircraft defense units.

The Telegram channel of Lukashenka’s press service, Pul Pervogo, also reported on Lukashenka's visit to the air force central command point and published a photo of him listening to a report of a military officer on a road surrounded by a thick forest. In the still photo, his left hand appears to be bandaged similarly to how it was last week when he was one of the few leaders in attendance for Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow. Lukashenka looked unwell at that appearance.

More than two hours later, Pul Pervogo Telegram channel issued a video showing Lukashenka sitting in a room filled with military personnel talking about Belarusian troops being in alert mode after several Russian military aircraft crashed in the Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border last weekend. Lukashenka's voice on the video sounded husky and tired.

Lukashenka has not been seen in public since May 9, when he attended Victory Day celebrations in Moscow and Minsk but skipped a lunch hosted by his close ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On May 14, he did not appear at a ceremony in the Belarusian capital to mark the country's National Flag, Coat of Arms, and Anthem Day. Belarusian Prime Minister Raman Halouchanka read a speech on Lukashenka's behalf during the festivities.

The Crisis In Belarus

Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election, widely seen as fraudulent.

Lukashenka, 68, has also failed to attend other public events over the past three weeks, but there has been no official statement regarding his health or the reasons for his absences. Lukashenka's press service has said only that he continues to work "with documents."

On May 15, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it is best to follow official statements from the Belarusian authorities regarding rumors of Lukashenka's ill health.

But Belarusian state media appears to be avoiding the topic, reporting mostly about Lukashenka's previous activities. In a report about National Flag, Coat of Arms, and Anthem Day, the state TV channel ANT featured snippets from Lukashenka's address to the Security Council on February 28.

On May 15, the state TV channel BT-1 did not cover Lukashenka's rumored illness and ran segments on the opening of a trade facility in Moscow and the results of the Turkish presidential election.

Other state TV programs limited images of Lukashenka to his trip to Moscow on May 9, while the state news agency BelTA featured an article on his "symbolic week," including his laying of a wreath at the Victory Day monument in Minsk following his return from Moscow and his positive reply to an invitation to attend a UN event in September.

Outside media that cover Belarus, meanwhile, reported on May 13 that Lukashenka had arrived at the Republican Clinical Medical Center in Minsk. Roads to the hospital were reportedly blocked as his motorcade approached, and security forces stood along the route.

Lukashenka has been in power since 1994. He was handed a fifth consecutive term in office by Belarus's election commission following the 2020 election, leading to mass protests and claims by Tsikhanouskaya and other opposition leaders that the election was rigged.

Lukashenka's security forces went on to brutally crack down on the mass protests for months, jailing opposition figures and driving others, including Tsikhanouskaya, into exile.

The authoritarian leader subsequently backed Putin in Russia's war against Ukraine, allowing Russian forces to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for Russia's intervention.

With reporting by BelTA and Pul Pervogo

Four more activists have gone on trial in Minsk on charges of inciting hatred as authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime continues its crackdown on dissent.

The Minsk City Court started all four trials on May 15, with human rights watchdogs calling the cases politically motivated.

The Crisis In Belarus

Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election, widely seen as fraudulent.

Judge Tatsyana Falkouskaya is trying former lawyer Alyaksey Barodka, who faces up to 12 years in prison if found guilty of "inciting racial, ethnic, religious, or other social hatred or discord."

In another courtroom at the building, Judge Anzhela Kastsyukevich will preside over the trial of Alyaksandr Kandratsyuk, a former employee at the Genetics Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus. He was arrested in September and charged with insulting Lukashenka, insulting a law enforcement officer, and inciting hatred.

Two other trials are starting on the same day in Minsk as well, for Alyaksandr Zhandarau and Ivan Puzdrou, who were charged with insulting authorities and inciting hatred.

Also on May 15, a court in the northeastern city of Vitsebsk started the trial of musician and art manager Uladzimer Bulauski.

Bulauski was arrested in December and charged with "repetitive violation of regulations for holding public events." Before that, he was arrested several times and sentenced to weeks in jail for holding protest rallies.

Hundreds of people have been handed prison terms in the unrest sparked by the August 2020 presidential election, in which Lukashenka claimed victory while rights activists and opposition politicians said the poll was rigged.

Belarus witnessed unprecedented protests over the election results that lasted for several months.

Thousands were detained, and there have been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment of detainees by security forces. Several people have died during the crackdown.

The 68-year-old Lukashenka has leaned heavily on Russian support amid Western sanctions while punishing the opposition and arresting or forcing abroad many of its leaders.

The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka's self-declared victory.