RUSI

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office met with human rights defenders to discuss the safety of Belarusians and the accountability of Alexander Lukashenko's regime for ongoing repression. The talks focused on documenting abuses and protecting those targeted inside Belarus and in exile. Rights groups have long pressed for international accountability mechanisms over political persecution in the country.

Belarusian military units are taking part in military exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation held in Russia's Ural region. The drills bring together forces from CSTO member states, a Russia-led alliance that includes Belarus, and come at a time of heightened attention to joint military activity between Minsk and Moscow.

A security alert was triggered at the school attended by Prince Harry and Meghan's children, according to ITV News. The incident prompted a response at the school, though details about what specifically happened and whether the family was present remain limited. The story is drawing wide attention in the UK given the couple's high profile and ongoing concern for their children's safety.

Estonia has moved to prohibit the transit of Russian and Belarusian grain across its territory, tightening pressure on Moscow and Minsk amid the war in Ukraine. The move targets flows that previously moved through the Baltic state toward European markets, and officials frame it as a sanctions-alignment step. Reactions are divided between those welcoming a tougher stance and those warning of economic fallout for local transit firms.

A Russian drone has crashed in Moldova, in what is being reported as the third airspace intrusion of the day and the second confirmed crash. The incident points to repeated Russian drones entering or straying into Moldovan territory, deepening concerns about the war in neighbouring Ukraine spilling over the border. Details about damage or casualties were not immediately available.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says Europe must maintain sanctions and isolation of Alexander Lukashenko's regime, warning against any softening of pressure. In an interview with The Parliament Magazine, she argues that easing sanctions would undermine the opposition and the Belarusian people's push for democratic change, and calls on EU leaders to stay united on policy toward Minsk.

Lithuania is moving to restrict property purchases by Russian and Belarusian nationals near strategically important sites, according to a report carried by UAWire. The measure is part of broader security concerns in the Baltic state, a NATO and EU member bordering Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and Belarus, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Lithuania is moving to ban Russian and Belarusian artists who performed in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories from entering or working in the country. The step follows similar measures by Baltic states and Ukraine itself against cultural figures seen as legitimising the occupation. Details of which performers would be covered, and how the ban would be enforced, remain unclear.

Lithuania is considering a ban, taking effect from 2027, on Russian and Belarusian artists who have performed in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. The proposed measure targets entertainers who legitimized the occupation through their performances, and could bar them from entering or performing in Lithuania. The move reflects continued Baltic states' hardening against cultural figures seen as supporting Russia's war in Ukraine.