Ukraine Fears Putin Will Put Nuclear Weapons In Belarus

Lithuania and Poland once again back Kiev's aspirations to join the European Union and NATO, something Russia opposes.

Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland, three of the EU countries closest to Russia, joined their voices yesterday to ask for more support in the face of pressure from Moscow and its satellites. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky recalled that "we have many times perceived intimidation [from Russia] to move its nuclear weapons to different parts of the world: about the deployment of nuclear weapons in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, and now we hear information about Belarus. I think you can not play with those things."

Refugees | Thousands Of People In The Border Area Spent The Night In Tents

In the Polish-Belarusian border region, up to 4,000 people camp in icy temperatures. Lithuania wants to impose a state of emergency for its border area.

When the temperature was below zero, thousands of refugees spent the night in tents in the border region between Belarus and Poland. Belarusian state media released photos and videos of people gathered around campfires and children lying in sleeping bags on the ground in the forest area. The local Polish police authority announced on Twitter that it was quiet except for a stone's throw.

A Plane To Land In Belarus To Arrest A Dissident

The claws of Alexander Lukashenko's dictatorship even reach the air. The Belarusian president today ordered a Ryanair plane - which was flying over the country bound for Lithuania - to land in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Inside was a famous opposition blogger, Roman Protasevich , who was arrested shortly after landing by the Belarusian police.

The activist was included in a list of fugitives after massive street protests last year following an election in which Lukashenko won a landslide victory amid widespread allegations of fraud. "Protasevich is exposed to the death penalty in Belarus," reported the Nexta Live network.

Read more: the Black Sea

Belaruscurrently holds in jail or in exile almost all of the candidates who ran last year against Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. Journalists are threatened and torture has been frequent in prisons.