Journalist, political observer and analyst from Belarus. Tatsiana writes about international relations, and the foreign and domestic policy of Belarus.
Odesa, the main port-city of Ukraine, has been the target of Russian bombings since 2022. The attacks intensified after Russia withdrew from the grain agreement. Tatsiana Ashurkevich spent a few days in the city and found among its residents a mix of fatalism, fatigue, and determination against the Russians.
Kharkiv has been a target for the Russian army ever since the war broke out. Its inhabitants refuse to leave their homes and carry on with their lives, trying to preserve some sense of normalcy despite the constant shelling.
Alexander Lukashenko’s health problems have reminded Belarussians that the dictator is a human being after all. Who will succeed him – will it be a member of the current administration, a representative of the opposition or someone appointed by Moscow?
Alexander Lukashenko’s close ties to the Kremlin have made Belarus a co-aggressor in Russia’s war against Ukraine, which in the future might turn this country into a target of a possible nuclear retaliation. All that was made possible due to the barter Belarussian authorities consented to by allowing Putin to use a strategically important territory in exchange for keeping Lukashenko in office. Yet just how important a part does Belarus play in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and what does that entail for the future of the region?
Russia has spent more than a decade building a system of total digital surveillance: from the SORM interception infrastructure to the state-promoted MAX messenger. Investigative journalist Andrey Zakharov, author of “The Russian Cyberpunk. How the Kremlin Builds a Digital GULAG”, explained Veridica how data turns into criminal cases, why the system runs above all on fear, and why its weakness is built into its very design.
Ukraine’s reform-minded defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and conservative Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, who were at odds with each other, were both dismissed in July, to be replaced with security heavyweight Yevhen Khmara, and rapidly rising frontline general Mykhailo Drapatyi.
As Alexander Lukashenko’s dictatorship hardened, former Belarusian law enforcement officials decided to put their skills in the service of the opposition and, to that end, they established a group named BELPOL. Vladimir Zhigar, a former criminal investigator working with the BELPOL, gave Veridica some insight about the group’s activities and motivation.
n September, Belarus and Russia will stage another round of military drills. In an interview with political analyst Alexander Friedman, we assess the stated goals versus the real purpose, the scenarios Moscow may test using Belarusian territory, the pressure tools available to the Kremlin, and the implications for NATO and EU planning - from border incidents and drones to migration and cyber pressure.
Released after 5 years in solitary confinement, Sergei Tsikhanouski – husband of opposition leader Svetlana Tsihanouskaya – urges the West to maintain pressure on Minsk and outlines possible scenarios for change in Belarus – from internal collapse to changes in Russia.
Speaking ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, Oleksiy Goncharenko outlines Kyiv’s red lines, warns against decisions made without Ukraine, and stresses the need for a united Western position to end the war.
On February 25, Belarus will hold local and legislative elections, the first since the anti-Lukashenko protests of 2020. Minsk clamped down on the opposition in the run up to the elections, and only pro-Lukashenko candidates are competing. Belarus remains firmly in Russia’s orbit.