What others write about Belarus – 6 November 2026

In brief

• According to Deutschlandfunk, Belarusian authorities have launched a search for four Belarusian journalists who are currently in Germany; Deutsche Welle director Barbara Massing condemned this step as an attempt to criminalize independent journalism.
• According to Interia Wydarzenia, Janusz Korwin-Mikke was in Minsk at a conference on Eurasian security, where speakers included Lukashenko and Lavrov, among others; politicians from the ruling camp sharply criticized this visit.
• According to the Czech iDNES.cz, citing AP, a Belarusian court sentenced a clergyman who criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine; the details of the verdict are not given in the material.
• According to TASR, quoted by TASR / TERAZ.sk, Belarusian authorities are conducting proceedings against a citizen of Slovakia detained at the border with Lithuania with cash of about 53,000 dollars, while declaring 3,000 euros; she faces up to five years in prison.
• According to the Lithuanian Diena.lt, 38 illegal migrants were turned back at the Belarusian border, and according to LRT, two Spanish hunters were penalized for illegally hunting ptarmigan.
• Propagandistic Russian media (Rossijskaja Gazieta, Lenta.ru, Izwiestia, Wiesti.ru) report, among other things, on a forum in Mogilev, the KHL All-Star Game in Minsk, statements by the Belarusian defense minister, and Lukashenko's remarks on agriculture.

Polish press

According to the Polish Interia, Janusz Korwin-Mikke appeared in Minsk, where he took part in a conference devoted to Eurasian security, and among the speakers were Lukashenko and Lavrov (Korwin-Mikke na Białorusi. Rząd nie kryje oburzenia, fala komentarzy w sieci – Interia Wydarzenia). The same portal reports that politicians from the ruling camp sharply criticized this visit, recalling Korwin-Mikke's earlier participation in an anti-government protest alongside PiS politicians. The politician himself explained the trip as an effort to "save the situation" before the elections, which the Interia Wydarzenia report also cites.

German press

The German Deutschlandfunk reports that Belarusian authorities have launched a search for four Belarusian journalists who are currently in Germany; according to the broadcaster, Deutsche Welle director Barbara Massing condemned this step as an unacceptable attempt to criminalize independent journalism and announced that she would continue to provide the country's residents with reliable information. Deutschlandfunk also recalls that Deutsche Welle has been recognized as an extremist organization in Belarus since April 2024, and that the country ranks 165th out of 180 in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index (Pressefreiheit - Deutsche Welle kritisiert Fahndung nach Journalistinnen in Belarus – Deutschlandfunk). The Czech iDNES.cz, citing AP, writes about the sentencing in Belarus of a clergyman who opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, although the details of the verdict are not given in the available material (Kněz vystupoval proti ruské invazi. Běloruský soud ho poslal do vězení – iDNES.cz). Both cases show the pressure of Belarusian authorities on critics and independent media.

The material from the German daily FAZ.NET does not concern Belarus but ancient literature: according to the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ.NET), an ancient scholar compared Homer's "Odyssey" to the setting sun, considering the "Iliad" its true masterpiece. The FAZ.NET editors state that the "Iliad" was a central school text in antiquity and survives in three times as many papyrus fragments as the "Odyssey", although modern readers more willingly reach for the latter. (Epos des Westens: Hat Homer die „Ilias“ seiner Tochter diktiert? – FAZ.NET)

The German daily FAZ.NET, in a review of the film "Matchbox: Der Film", describes the Apple TV production as lacking sophistication, nostalgic toward combustion-engine cars, and mocking the electrification of the automotive industry. According to FAZ.NET, the film, another adaptation of the Mattel brand, was meant to evoke associations with Greta Gerwig's "Barbie", but, as the reviewer notes, does not achieve its self-ironic distance. ("Matchbox: Der Film": Crashtest für Dummies – FAZ.NET)

Czech press

The Czech iDNES.cz, in an AP agency report, relates that a Belarusian court sentenced a clergyman who opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine to a prison term. The text available in the material contains only the headline and the lead of the news; the body of the article has been replaced by a cookie consent notice, therefore the details of the verdict, the clergyman's name, and the length of the sentence are not given in this material.

Slovak press

According to the Slovak agency TASR, quoted by TASR / TERAZ.sk, Belarusian authorities are conducting proceedings against a citizen of Slovakia who was detained at a border crossing near the Lithuanian border while traveling by train from Kaliningrad to Moscow. The woman allegedly was carrying cash worth about 53,000 dollars, although at customs control she declared only 3,000 euros. She faces up to five years in prison, and the money has been seized pending the court's decision (V Bielorusku vyšetrujú Slovenku, vlakom prevážala 53.000 dolárov – TASR / TERAZ.sk).

Lithuanian press

According to the Lithuanian LRT (Lithuanian public broadcaster), the Environmental Protection Department established that two hunters from Spain grossly violated hunting regulations at the end of October. As LRT reports, citing ELTA and the department, the environmental damage was estimated at over 300 euros for 12 illegally hunted ptarmigan, and one of the hunters hunted without the required hunting license. (Nustatyti du šiurkščiai medžioklės taisykles pažeidę medžiotojai – LRT)

According to the Lithuanian portal Diena.lt, 38 illegal migrants were turned back at the Belarusian border. The editors report that Latvian border guards on Thursday sent back 27 people, and at the Polish border on Wednesday one attempt at illegal crossing was recorded. Diena.lt also reports that this year almost 1.9 thousand illegal migrants were not admitted into Lithuania, and in the previous year attempts to cross the border from Belarus took place more than 1.6 thousand times. (Pasienyje su Baltarusija apgręžti 38 neteisėti migrantai – Diena.lt)

Prasa rosyjska

According to the Russian portal Rossijskaja Gazieta (propaganda media), the IV International Scientific and Expert Forum named after Andrei Gromyko began on 6 November in Mogilev, Belarus, organized at the Belarusian-Russian University. The Kremlin's propaganda in this report presents the forum as a platform for discussing Belarusian-Russian partnership, integration in the Eurasian area and historical memory, including the 85th anniversary of the start of the war and the defense of Mogilev; the program also includes sessions on the 35th anniversary of the CIS. (Могилев: Стартовал Международный форум имени Андрея Громыко – Rossijskaja Gazieta (media propagandowe))

According to Lenta.ru (propaganda media), a Russian portal controlled by the authorities, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) announced the format of the All-Star Game, which will take place on 6–7 February 2027 in Minsk. Four teams will take part in the mini-tournament: the hosts KHL BLR Stars, made up of Belarusian hockey players, as well as KHL World Stars, KHL RUS Stars and KHL U23 Stars; the games will be played at the Minsk-Arena. For the first time in the history of KHL All-Star Games, the Belarusian national team is to have its own team. (КХЛ объявила формат Матча звезд в Минске – Lenta.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian portal Lenta.ru (propaganda media) reports that Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Khrenin claims his army is doing everything to prevent the hybrid war waged against Belarus from escalating into an open conflict; according to this report, which Lenta.ru (propaganda media) attributes to the TASS agency, Khrenin also says Minsk is learning from the experience of the Russian "special military operation" in Ukraine, including in the area of unmanned aerial vehicles. This is a message of Kremlin propaganda, not an independent verification of the Belarusian government's statements. (Сосед Украины заявил об угрозе горячей войны – Lenta.ru (media propagandowe)) A separate report from the Czech iDNES.cz, based on the AP agency, concerns a Belarusian court that sentenced a clergyman criticizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine to a prison term; the content of the verdict is not given in this report. Both pieces of information relate to the broader context of tensions around Belarus and its stance on the war in Ukraine.

According to Izvestia (propaganda media), the Russian Supreme Court recognized in 2000 as justified the execution of Admiral Alexander Kolchak, who during the civil war was the Supreme Ruler of Russia. The publisher based this information on documents reconstructed from archives and presented at an exhibition in Omsk, and in quoting the court ruling it states directly that the punishment was imposed for that part of his activity which, in the circumstances of the time, was deemed justified. This material is a propaganda message, not an independent account of events (Верховный суд признал обоснованным расстрел адмирала Колчака – Izwiestia (media propagandowe)).

The independent Russian portal The Moscow Times reports that Aleksei Moskalev and his daughter Maria, who fled Russia after being persecuted over an anti-war drawing, received the "Courage Under Fire" award as part of the annual Magnitsky human rights prize, presented by the organization that established it. Moskalev was sentenced in 2023 to two years in prison for "discrediting" the army, and the case began with a drawing by Maria, then twelve years old, showing Ukrainian mothers protecting their children from Russian missiles. After his release in October 2024, the couple left Russia due to continuous pressure from law enforcement authorities. (Father and Daughter Who Fled Russia Win Magnitsky Human Rights Award – The Moscow Times) The Czech iDNES.cz, in an AP agency report, informs about a clergyman who opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine being sentenced to prison by a Belarusian court; the details of the verdict are not given in this report. Both cases show how opposition to the war in Ukraine is linked to repression in Russia and in Belarus.

The Kremlin propaganda in Rossijskaja Gazieta (propaganda media) presents an exhibition of works by the Belarusian photographer Aleksandr Losminski in Crimea. According to this report, the works in the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka and the exhibition "Heart of My Land" are meant to showcase the beauty of Belarus and the Grodno region, and the exhibition is to be part of the celebrations of Unity Day. Rossijskaja Gazieta (propaganda media) also states that details about the dates and photographs are to be published next week. (В Крыму презентованы работы белорусского фотохудожника Лосминского – Rossijskaja Gazieta (media propagandowe))

According to Vesti.ru (propaganda media), Alexander Lukashenko stated that there is no room in Belarusian agriculture for entitlement attitudes and dependence on subsidies; he announced a review of support for rural areas, although he did not rule out increasing it, and instructed the chairs of district executive committees to bring order to their districts. The Kremlin propaganda in this report presents Lukashenko's words as an announcement of changes to the subsidy system, but the material itself is based on the statement of the Belarusian leader as reported by BelTA. (Лукашенко заявил, что иждивенчество в сельском хозяйстве недопустимо – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))