Since the regime brutally crushed opposition protests in 2020, Belarus has rarely made the headlines. Some see the country as a loyal satellite of Russia, stripped of all agency, others overlook it entirely. Despite the lack of attention, though, much of significance is currently underway. In recent months, Belarus has hosted Western officials, released political prisoners, and apparently tried to distance itself from Moscow (despite allowing Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory). What is happening inside Belarus? And what should Western officials understand about one of the most important pieces of the European security puzzle?
For additional insight on a possible Russia-Europe conflict, and the role of Belarus, see Artyom Shraibman's paper.
You can also read Balázs Jarábik's piece on Belarus.
Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Farida Rustamova and Margarita Liutova, independent journalists and authors of the Faridaily English-language newsletter, to discuss the shocking suicide of Russia’s transport minister, Roman Starovoit, and what it tells us about the pressure inside Putin’s power system.
Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Nathaniel Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Program who worked in senior Russia policy roles during Joe Biden’s presidency, to discuss the recent NATO summit in The Hague and the implications for Ukraine, Russia, and Europe.
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Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and one of the leading experts on the Russian economy, to assess the current state of Putin’s wartime economy and discuss its future prospects.