Belarus Weekly: Leaked document reveals alleged Kremlin plan to take over Belarus by 2030

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meet near Moscow to discuss further cooperation as Minsk prepares to produce Russian military aircraft.

Meanwhile, a leaked document revealed that the Kremlin plans to take over Belarus by 2023, according to a joint investigation by the Kyiv Independent.

Over 30 countries, including France, urge the International Olympic Committee to continue its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Minsk expels three Polish diplomats amid growing tensions with Warsaw and more border crossing closures.

Belarus' parliament approves a second reading for a bill that would authorize capital punishment for high treason.

At the 2023 Munich Security Conference, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya reiterates the importance of a democratic Belarus for regional security.

Leaked document reveals alleged Kremlin plan to take over Belarus by 2030

A group of U.S. and European media outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, has obtained a 17-page document allegedly detailing Russia's plans to subjugate Belarus and dismantle its independence.

The document details Russia's future steps to take full control of Belarusian political, economic, and military spheres by the end of the decade.

According to the document, by 2030, Belarus should have a single currency and tax system with Russia, and its media space must be under Russian control. The Belarusian army must comply with Russian regulations, while all key military production must be transferred from Belarus to Russia.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said the territorial defense force would be comprised of 100,000 to 150,000 volunteers, ideally located in every settlement across the country.

Khrenin first announced the creation of a "people's militia" in May 2022.

Trial for Nexta Live editor, founders begins in Minsk

The trial of Raman Pratasevich, a former editor for opposition Telegram channel Nexta Live, began at the Minsk regional court on Feb. 16. Nexta Live founders Stsiapan Putsila and Yan Rudzik are being tried in the same case, albeit in absentia.

The co-defendants are accused of creating and participating in a so-called “extremist group,” “undermining national security,” and other politically motivated charges. They are also being made to pay nearly $11.9 million to cover the alleged negative impact of their Telegram channel on Belarus.

If found guilty, they may be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail.

Nexta Live extensively covered the protests that followed the fraudulent Belarusian presidential election in 2020.

Pratasevich fled Belarus in 2019 but was detained when his commercial flight from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land in Minsk while flying over the country. On July 19, 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) found Belarus guilty of orchestrating the forced landing of Ryanair Flight FR4978.

According to the ICAO, forced landing constitutes an offense under the Montreal and Chicago conventions.