What Others Write About Belarus – 7 November 2026

In brief

• The Polish daily Rzeczpospolita writes about Belarusian historian Ihar Melnikau, whose studies, according to the publisher, are still used by Belarusian institutions, even though the authorities have declared him an enemy of the state.
• Ukrainian Suspilne and NV report that the IIHF did not admit the Belarusian national team to the 2027 senior and junior world championships.
• The Lithuanian Diena.lt, citing VSAT, reports that no illegal migrants have recently been recorded at the border with Belarus; it also gives figures for detentions since the start of the migration crisis.
• Russian propaganda media (Vesti.ru, Lenta.ru, RIA Novosti, Izvestia) report Lukashenko's statements on the anniversary of the October Revolution, on food exports and on friendship, as well as condolences following the death of actress Lidia Fyodosiyeva-Shukshina.
• Vesti.ru, citing BelTA, reports that Lukashenko wants to double Belarusian food exports to $20 billion; this is a propaganda message, without independent verification.

Polish press

The Polish daily Rzeczpospolita presents the story of Belarusian historian Ihar Melnikau who, according to this publisher, spent his whole life researching Polish-Belarusian history, the prewar border and the history of the Polish Army. Rzeczpospolita reports that his studies are still used by Belarusian state institutions, yet the authorities have declared him an enemy of the state. Melnikau himself, a former prisoner of Aleksandr Lukashenko's regime, says he did not foresee that he would "fall foul of Russia" (Za pisanie o Polsce uznali go za wroga państwa. „Nie przewidziałem, że podpadnę Rosji” – Rzeczpospolita).

Ukrainian press

According to the Ukrainian portal Suspilne, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) did not admit the Belarusian national team to the 2027 senior and junior world championships. The portal also reports on the IIHF's decision concerning the Russian national team. (Білорусь не допустили до дорослого та юніорського чемпіонатів світу-2027 з хокею – Suspilne) NV writes similarly, reporting that the IIHF decided not to admit the Belarusian team to the 2027 U20 and senior world championships, even though the Russian team has been returned to competition (Беларусь не допустили к ЧМ-2027 по хоккею, хотя Россию вернули — официальное заявление IIHF – NV).

Lithuanian press

According to the Lithuanian Diena.lt, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported that no illegal migrants have recently been recorded at the border with Belarus. Diena.lt reports that the Latvian border service, facing a large influx of illegal migrants, on Friday refused entry to 49 people, and Polish officers also reported no similar cases. Diena.lt recalls that in 2025 Lithuanian services prevented more than 1.65 thousand people from crossing the border from Belarus, and this year 1889, and that since the start of the migration crisis about 26.5 thousand illegal migrants have been detained in total. (VSAT: pasienyje su Baltarusija neteisėtų migrantų nefiksuota – Diena.lt)

Russian press

According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), a Russian state portal, Alexander Lukashenko extended greetings to the citizens of Belarus on the occasion of 7 November, the anniversary of the October Revolution, and the text was supposed to appear on the president's official website. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that the Belarusian leader called the revolution a "landmark event" and said Belarus should follow its "best ideas"; however, this is propaganda messaging, without independent verification. (Лукашенко поздравил граждан Белоруссии с 7 ноября – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)) Lenta.ru (propaganda media) also writes about this event, reporting that Lukashenko warned against further revolutions in Belarus, saying that the "revolution limit" had been exhausted, that as a historian he does not want a repeat, and that the events of 1917 gave Belarus a chance for independence (Лукашенко выступил с предупреждением – Lenta.ru (media propagandowe)). Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also reports that, according to the TASS agency, Lukashenko stated that 7 November has been kept as a holiday in Belarus because representatives of the older generation, for whom this date matters, are still alive (Лукашенко заявил, что он не сторонник революций – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)).

The Kremlin propaganda outlet Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that Alexander Lukashenko demands doubling Belarusian food exports to 20 billion dollars, which he says will place the country at a new stage of agricultural complex development; the report is based on a quote from the BelTA agency. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also reports that global demand for food is steadily growing. (Лукашенко призвал удвоить экспорт белорусского продовольствия – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

Rossijskaja Gazieta (propaganda media) reports that on 7 November Alexander Lukashenko set Belarusian agriculture the goal of doubling exports from 10 to 20 billion dollars, citing rising global food demand as the reason. According to this propaganda report, the president also announced the development of beef cattle breeding, despite the lower profitability of meat compared with milk, as well as control over the growth of meat purchase prices to avoid sharp increases. (Лукашенко ориентирует на удвоение экспорта продовольствия – Rossijskaja Gazieta (media propagandowe))

According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), a Kremlin propaganda channel, Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that he has no friends, only acquaintances who have done a great deal for him. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) attributes to him the thesis that friends eventually begin to demand a lot, which in his view may lead to corruption, and therefore he considers this unacceptable. The statement was made during a meeting with residents of the agrotown of Gowiady in the Mogilev region, and it is quoted by the BelTA agency. This is propaganda messaging, unverified and not presented here as fact. (Лукашенко рассказал, есть ли у него друзья – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)) RIA Nowosti (propaganda media) also reports this statement, quoting Lukashenko's words from the BelTA channel: that friends eventually begin to demand a lot and that this leads to corruption, which he considers unacceptable (Лукашенко рассказал, есть ли у него друзья – RIA Nowosti (media propagandowe)). Lenta.ru (propaganda media) also reports this statement, saying that Lukashenko supposedly said he has acquaintances who have done a great deal for him, and that he considers as friends only those who do not, from time to time, begin to demand too much from him (Лукашенко рассказал о своих друзьях – Lenta.ru (media propagandowe)).

Belarusian section of the Russian press review: according to Izvestia (propaganda media), Alexander Lukashenko stated that the president can hardly have friends, only acquaintances who have done a great deal for him. Izvestia (propaganda media), citing the BelTA agency, quotes his words that friends eventually begin to demand a lot, which in his view leads even to corruption. This is a message from Kremlin propaganda, not a verified fact. (Лукашенко рассказал об отсутствии друзей – Izwiestia (media propagandowe))

The Russian portal Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has so far not decided to admit Russian national teams to competitions, and that it earlier excluded the Belarusian youth and senior national teams from the 2027 World Championships. According to this report, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) obliged the IIHF to allow Russians to compete, and some countries have announced a boycott of matches involving them. It is worth noting that it is Kremlin propaganda in Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) that presents these claims, and their credibility has not been confirmed here by other sources (IIHF все еще не приняла решение о допуске сборных России до соревнований – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)). The Ukrainian outlets Suspilne and NV, in turn, report that the IIHF did not admit Belarus to the 2027 World Championships in the senior and junior categories, which is linked to the issue of Russia's status in the same federation.

According to Lenta.ru (propaganda media), a Russian portal controlled by the authorities, Belarusian leader Alaksandr Lukashenka expressed condolences to the family and loved ones of Lidia Fedoseyeva-Shukshina, a Russian actress who died on 6 November at the age of 88. Citing the Telegram channel "Pul Pervogo" ("Пул Первого"), the portal reports that Lukashenko praised her work and stated that the female characters she created will remain a model of sincerity and strength. Lenta.ru (propaganda media) also reports that the actress had been in hospital since mid-October. This is propaganda messaging, not independent reporting (Лукашенко выразил соболезнования родным Лидии Федосеевой-Шукшиной – Lenta.ru (media propagandowe)). RIA Nowosti (propaganda media) also reports Lukashenko's condolences, stating that the message came from the Telegram channel "Pul Pervogo", which is close to the Belarusian president's press service, and that the cause of the actress's death was heart failure; according to this material, her health had sharply deteriorated in recent months and she had been connected to a mechanical ventilator (Лукашенко выразил соболезнования родным Лидии Федосеевой-Шукшиной – RIA Nowosti (media propagandowe)).

Russian Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko expressed condolences over the death of actress Lidia Fedoseyeva-Shukshina, according to the BelTA agency. According to this account, Lukashenko stressed that the actress's roles will remain a model of sincerity and strength of spirit, and that her work was known and valued in Belarus. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that the actress died on 6 November at the age of 88 from heart failure, and that the funeral is due to take place on 11 November. This is propaganda messaging from Kremlin media, relaying the official words of the Belarusian leader. (Лукашенко выразил соболезнования в связи со смертью Лидии Федосеевой-Шукшиной – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))