In brief

• German DW reports that after his release from prison, Siarhei Tsikhanouski criticises the Lukashenka regime as well as the office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other opposition activists. According to DW, many of Tsikhanouskaya's voters regret their choice, which undermines her legitimacy.
• Ukrainian NV reports that the Donald Trump administration is trying to persuade Lithuania to resume the export of Belarusian potash fertiliser through the port of Klaipeda, which according to NV could weaken EU sanctions. According to NV, Lithuania firmly rejects these proposals, and European officials are concerned about weakening the sanctions.
• Russian Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), citing Politico, writes about the same pressure on Lithuania. It adds that the ban on exports through EU ports must be extended every 12 months, and that Lithuania, which will chair the EU in 2027, could theoretically block its further application.
• Russian Rossijskaja Gazieta (propaganda media) reports that on 30 October the first run of the company train No. 2 Minsk–Moscow "Belarus" with new carriages left Minsk-Pasazhirsky station. The paper mentions air conditioning, showers, individual safes and power sockets, as well as the adaptation of some carriages for people with reduced mobility.
• Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that Belarusian Chief of the General Staff Vladimir Belyi, in an interview with the ONT channel, considered the strengthening of neighbours' potential inadequate and stated that Belarus is adjusting its military plans in response to Poland being equipped with tanks, long-range artillery and aircraft. According to the same report, an airborne grouping is being formed in the Gomel region, and Belyi accuses Kyiv of provocations.

German press

German DW reports on internal tensions within the family of Siarhei Tsikhanouski, which may affect the Belarusian opposition in exile. After his release from prison, Tsikhanouski criticises not only the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenka, but also the office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other people associated with the opposition. He points out that many Belarusians who voted for Tsikhanouskaya now regret their choice, which undermines her legitimacy in the eyes of Belarusian society (What the rift within the Tsikhanouski family means for the Belarusian opposition in exile – DW).

Ukrainian press

Ukrainian NV reports that the Donald Trump administration is trying to persuade Lithuania to resume the export of Belarusian potash fertiliser through the port of Klaipeda, which could weaken the European sanctions imposed on the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenka. Lithuania, one of Ukraine's most loyal allies in the EU, firmly rejects these proposals, stressing that it does not intend to give in to pressure. Concerns about weakening the sanctions and strengthening Lukashenka's position in the region are also voiced by European officials («Хр*н вам». Литва отказывается открывать порты для белорусского калия, несмотря на давление США — Politico – NV)

Russian press

Russian Rossijskaja Gazieta (propaganda media) reports that on Friday, 30 October, the first run of the company train No. 2 Minsk–Moscow "Belarus", made up of new carriages, left Minsk-Pasazhirsky station, as announced by the management of the Belarusian railway BZhD. This is propaganda from the Kremlin media, presenting the new trains in a positive light. According to the paper, the SV, compartment and platzkart carriages have air conditioning, showers in the toilets, individual safes and charging sockets, and their interiors are decorated with cornflower motifs. The paper also reports that some carriages have been adapted for people with reduced physical mobility (Минск: БЖД обновила парк новыми комфортабельными вагонами – Rossijskaja Gazieta (media propagandowe)).

Kremlin propaganda in the Russian Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports, citing Politico, that the Donald Trump administration is pressing Lithuania to resume the export of Belarusian potash fertiliser through the port of Klaipeda, which according to this report would weaken EU sanctions against the Lukashenka regime. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) notes that the ban on exports of Belarusian goods through EU ports must be extended every 12 months, and that Lithuania, one of the main proponents of sanctions, could theoretically block their further application in 2027, when it chairs the EU (Вашингтон требует возобновить экспорт удобрений из Белоруссии через Клайпеду – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)). Ukrainian NV, in turn, reports that Lithuania firmly rejects such proposals and does not intend to give in to pressure, and both reports concern the same matter: Washington's pressure on Vilnius over Belarusian potash.

Russian portal Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that Kremlin propaganda claims Belarus has the means to respond to the militarisation of Poland and the Baltic states. According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), the Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian army, Vladimir Belyi, said in an interview with the ONT channel that Minsk considers the growth of its neighbours' potential inadequate, and that Poland is to be the second strongest force in the region in terms of troop numbers and the NATO leader in military spending at 5% of GDP. Belyi added that Belarus is adjusting its military plans in response to the Polish army being equipped with tanks, long-range artillery and aircraft, and that the Baltic states, although less dangerous militarily, host NATO infrastructure, which Minsk is also monitoring (В Белоруссии заявили о готовности ответить на милитаризацию Польши – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)). Both news items concern tensions around Belarus and its relations with NATO neighbours: Ukrainian NV describes the pressure from the Donald Trump administration on Lithuania to resume the export of Belarusian potash fertiliser through the port of Klaipeda, which according to NV could weaken EU sanctions against the Lukashenka regime.

Russian Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) presents the message of Kremlin propaganda: according to the Chief of the General Staff of Belarus, Vladimir Belyi, a new airborne formation is being created in the Gomel region to protect the country's southern borders. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that the unit is to protect the border region under conditions of armed conflict in a neighbouring state, and that its infrastructure, training and equipment are, according to Belyi, in the final phase. The same propaganda claims that Minsk is responding to a grouping on the Ukrainian side of over 15 thousand soldiers, and Belyi accuses Kyiv of provocations and information pressure (Белоруссия создает новое десантное соединение на границе с Украиной – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)).