themoscowtimes--2020-11-13--Belarus Briefing | Nov. 13

Belarus Briefing | Nov. 13

Belarus has seen weekly mass protests against the disputed presidential re-election of Alexander Lukashenko for nearly three months .
Here 's more of the latest news from Russia 's ex-Soviet neighbor : Nov. 13 : What you need to know today • None , 31 , died on Thursday after being beaten to death by unknown security agents .
Witnesses say Bondarenko was detained in Minsk after scuffling with people in plain clothes who came to a playground to remove red-and-white ribbons .
• Thousands of people carrying candles and flowers gathered in Minsk on Thursday to mourn the death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added Lukashenko and his son Viktor to its sanctions blacklist of Belarus officials , bringing the total to 59 .
• Hundreds of people were detained in Minsk as protests continued for the 14th Sunday in a row .
• Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya , who fled to Lithuania under pressure from officials after the nationwide ballot , has seemed out the help of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden , to heap pressure on Lukashenko .
`` Joe Biden has spoken out more than once and taken a firm position of support for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • A report from the OSCE election-monitoring organization published on Thursday condemned `` massive '' rights abuses and torture in Belarus and called for a re-run of the country 's August presidential polls in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory .
• Belarus on Tuesday launched its controversial Russia-built nuclear power station despite safety concerns from neighboring Baltic states three decades after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster .
• None The OSCE says there is “ overwhelming evidence ” that Belarus 's August presidential election results were falsified and that “ systematic '' human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country 's security forces .
• None More than 1,000 demonstrators , including many pensioners , took part in a march in Minsk on Nov. 2 to demand the resignation of Lukashenko , a day after hundreds of people were detained by police during a similar protest .
• Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting with his new security chiefs on Friday following a reshuffle as he seeks to tighten his grip on power after months of unprecedented protests .
• None with all neighbors except Russia for most travelers , citing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a political move against the opposition .
• None Lukashenko dismissed controversial Belarusian interior minister Yury Karayeu , who oversaw a brutal crackdown on protesters in the days after the Aug. 9 presidential election , on Thursday .
State media reported that Karayeu was replaced by Ivan Kubrakou , who previously headed the Minsk city police department .
• None Prominent American political strategist and former Bernie Sanders campaign adviser Vitali Shkliarov on Wednesday returned to the United States from Belarus where he was detained in late July on charges of mobilizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures seized in Belarus amid a crackdown on Lukashenko 's opponents .
• Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has called Monday ’ s general strike aimed at putting pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko a “ collective success ” and vowed to continue calling for his resignation .
• None Lukashenko has called on universities to expel students who joined the anti-government rallies across Belarus .
With reporting from AFP , TASS and RFE .

Belarus has seen weekly mass protests against the disputed presidential re-election of Alexander Lukashenko for nearly three months.
Here's more of the latest news from Russia's ex-Soviet neighbor:
Nov. 17: What you need to know today
The Belarusian Association of Journalists has won the Media Freedom Award, a prize awarded by the governments of Britain and Canada
At least 1,000 people were detained across Belarus on November 15, according to local human rights watchdog Viasna, amid mass demonstrations against longstanding leader Alexander Lukashenko
Police brutality against demonstrators in Belarus, unprovoked by protesters, is impermissible, but the very instances of provocations must not be ruled out, Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov told the media on Tuesday.
Nov. 13
Roman Bondarenko , 31, died on Thursday after being beaten to death by unknown security agents . Witnesses say Bondarenko was detained in Minsk after scuffling with people in plain clothes who came to a playground to remove red-and-white ribbons.
. Witnesses say Bondarenko was detained in Minsk after scuffling with people in plain clothes who came to a playground to remove red-and-white ribbons. Thousands of people carrying candles and flowers gathered in Minsk on Thursday to mourn the death of Bondarenko.
The EU has added Lukashenko and his son Viktor to its sanctions blacklist of Belarus officials, bringing the total to 59.
Nov. 9
Hundreds of people were detained in Minsk as protests continued for the 14th Sunday in a row.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled to Lithuania under pressure from officials after the nationwide ballot, has seemed out the help of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, to heap pressure on Lukashenko. "Joe Biden has spoken out more than once and taken a firm position of support for the Belarusian people," she said.
Nov. 6
A report from the OSCE election-monitoring organization published on Thursday condemned "massive" rights abuses and torture in Belarus and called for a re-run of the country's August presidential polls in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory.
Nov. 4
Belarus on Tuesday launched its controversial Russia-built nuclear power station despite safety concerns from neighboring Baltic states three decades after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
The OSCE says there is “overwhelming evidence” that Belarus's August presidential election results were falsified and that “systematic" human rights violations have been committed by the country's security forces.
More than 1,000 demonstrators, including many pensioners, took part in a march in Minsk on Nov. 2 to demand the resignation of Lukashenko, a day after hundreds of people were detained by police during a similar protest.
Oct. 30
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting with his new security chiefs on Friday following a reshuffle as he seeks to tighten his grip on power after months of unprecedented protests.
Belarus has partly closed its land borders with all neighbors except Russia for most travelers, citing the coronavirus, while critics say it was a political move against the opposition.
Oct. 29
Lukashenko dismissed controversial Belarusian interior minister Yury Karayeu, who oversaw a brutal crackdown on protesters in the days after the Aug. 9 presidential election, on Thursday. State media reported that Karayeu was replaced by Ivan Kubrakou, who previously headed the Minsk city police department.
Prominent American political strategist and former Bernie Sanders campaign adviser Vitali Shkliarov on Wednesday returned to the United States from Belarus where he was detained in late July on charges of mobilizing protesters. Shkliarov was among several prominent figures seized in Belarus amid a crackdown on Lukashenko's opponents.
Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has called Monday’s general strike aimed at putting pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko a “collective success” and vowed to continue calling for his resignation.
Lukashenko has called on universities to expel students who joined the anti-government rallies across Belarus.
With reporting from AFP, TASS and RFE.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-13--Russia Builds Replica WWII Prison Camp for Kids

A Russian nonprofit organization has built a replica World War II prison camp through a presidential grant for children ’ s patriotic education , local media in northern Russia has reported .
When it opens in the republic of Karelia on the Finnish border in December , schoolchildren will be able to roam the guard towers , barracks and barbed wire that Finland ’ s army set up for Soviet civilians fleeing the frontlines .
“ We hope to see the former young prisoners here too , ” said Natalia Abramova , who heads the Otkrytye Vozmozhnosti ( Open Opportunities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the camp .
“ They ’ ll be able to share their memories with the children , ” Abramova told the Karelia affiliate of the Rossia state broadcaster on the camp grounds in a village 700 kilometers north of Moscow .
She added that young visitors will also take part in “ military-patriotic games ” and “ lessons in courage ” as part of the “ Patriotic Weekend ” attraction .
The NGO won a $ 36,000 presidential grant to open the camp , which uses the set of a 2019 state-funded movie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were interned at the camps .
Historians say around 4,000 Soviet civilians , including children , women and the elderly , perished in the several transfer camps that Finland opened between 1941-44 .
Karelia ’ s mock camp is the latest example of modern-day Russia ’ s efforts to pass on Soviet and wartime history to the next generation .
President Vladimir Putin , who has long promoted patriotism as Russia ’ s sole national idea and established a military-patriotic youth movement in 2015 , added patriotism and war history to the Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are pursuing “ aggressive , militaristic politics of memory , ” historians who oppose the project told the U.S.-funded RFE/RL news outlet , which profiled the camp in March .
“ War is not a children ’ s show , but a very serious thing , ” Mikhail Goldenberg , director of the Karelia National Museum , told the outlet at the time .

A Russian nonprofit organization has built a replica World War II prison camp through a presidential grant for children’s patriotic education, local media in northern Russia has reported. When it opens in the republic of Karelia on the Finnish border in December, schoolchildren will be able to roam the guard towers, barracks and barbed wire that Finland’s army set up for Soviet civilians fleeing the frontlines.
“We hope to see the former young prisoners here too,” said Natalia Abramova, who heads the Otkrytye Vozmozhnosti (Open Opportunities) NGO for disabled children that erected the camp. “They’ll be able to share their memories with the children,” Abramova told the Karelia affiliate of the Rossia state broadcaster on the camp grounds in a village 700 kilometers north of Moscow. She added that young visitors will also take part in “military-patriotic games” and “lessons in courage” as part of the “Patriotic Weekend” attraction.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-13--Thousands Rally in Armenia Against Disputed Peace Deal

Thousands of furious protesters rallied in the Armenian capital for a fourth day running on Friday demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resign over a controversial peace agreement with Azerbaijan .
Pashinyan announced the Moscow-brokered agreement Tuesday , ending more than six weeks of intense fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh that left at least 1,400 dead and displaced tens of thousands .
Armenia agreed to cede parts of the region to Azerbaijan as well as other territories controlled by Armenian separatists since the 1990s .
The decision sparked fury in Armenia , where demonstrators stormed and ransacked government buildings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yerevan , demanding that Pashinyan step-down .
On Friday , several thousand protesters gathered in downtown Yerevan 's Liberty Square , many holding placards that read `` Nikol traitor . ''
`` Who are you to give up our lands , you had no right to do this ! ''
Artur Beglarian , one of the demonstrators who was wounded in action in Karabakh , shouted through a loudspeaker .
`` Our soldiers were fighting heroically , '' he said , addressing the crowd from a wheelchair .
Vardan Voskanyan from the opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who signed this agreement has no right to live in our country . ''
`` We need a leader who will change this shameful agreement for the better . ''
Earlier on Friday , Armenian courts freed from custody 10 prominent opposition figures accused of sparking unrest after Pashinyan announced the peace deal .
Prosecutors have charged the politicians -- including Gagik Tsarukyan , leader of the Prosperous Armenia party , and Ishkhan Sagateyan of the Dashnaktsutyun party -- with creating `` illegal violent mass disorder . ''
They were arrested Thursday and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said their clients were released after courts ruled there was no reason to keep them in detention .
Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan nearly 30 years ago but it has not been recognized internationally , even by Armenia .
Fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenian separatists erupted in late September and persisted despite efforts by France , Russia and the United States to broker ceasefires that collapsed as both sides accused the other of violations .

Thousands of furious protesters rallied in the Armenian capital for a fourth day running on Friday demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resign over a controversial peace agreement with Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan announced the Moscow-brokered agreement Tuesday, ending more than six weeks of intense fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh that left at least 1,400 dead and displaced tens of thousands.
Armenia agreed to cede parts of the region to Azerbaijan as well as other territories controlled by Armenian separatists since the 1990s.
The decision sparked fury in Armenia, where demonstrators stormed and ransacked government buildings and have since staged daily demonstrations in Yerevan, demanding that Pashinyan step-down.
On Friday, several thousand protesters gathered in downtown Yerevan's Liberty Square, many holding placards that read "Nikol traitor."
"Who are you to give up our lands, you had no right to do this!" Artur Beglarian, one of the demonstrators who was wounded in action in Karabakh, shouted through a loudspeaker.
"Our soldiers were fighting heroically," he said, addressing the crowd from a wheelchair.
Vardan Voskanyan from the opposition Homeland party said: "The man who signed this agreement has no right to live in our country."
"We need a leader who will change this shameful agreement for the better."
Earlier on Friday, Armenian courts freed from custody 10 prominent opposition figures accused of sparking unrest after Pashinyan announced the peace deal.
Prosecutors have charged the politicians -- including Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia party, and Ishkhan Sagateyan of the Dashnaktsutyun party -- with creating "illegal violent mass disorder."
They were arrested Thursday and face 10 years in prison but lawyers said their clients were released after courts ruled there was no reason to keep them in detention.
Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan nearly 30 years ago but it has not been recognized internationally, even by Armenia.
Fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenian separatists erupted in late September and persisted despite efforts by France, Russia and the United States to broker ceasefires that collapsed as both sides accused the other of violations.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-13--Siberian Student Climbs Tree for Internet Signal to Attend Remote Classes

Alexei Dudoladov goes by “ Omskiy Kolkhoznik ” ( Farmer from Omsk ) on TikTok , where his videos of village life have racked up millions of views and likes in a year .
But because his remote Siberian village only gets a 2G signal , Dudoladov has to get creative to upload his work .
Alexei may have the coolest Zoom background in the world , but he ’ d rather not have to climb a tree for it .
“ I have to go to the forest 300 meters away from the village and climb atop an 8-meter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week ’ s TikTok .
“ I became a popular TikTok blogger this summer and I live-streamed from the birch tree.
” But after the institute where he studies went remote this week because of the coronavirus surge , Dudoladov has had to resort to tree-climbing again to attend his virtual classes .
Tilting the camera to show viewers how high he ’ s perched , the marine engineering student explains that “ this is how I log into Zoom to speak with instructors and prove that I ’ m not skipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not May and I have to sacrifice my health .
I ’ ve already suffered double pneumonia , ” Dudoladov , 21 , says in the video appeal to his governor .
With the video going viral and getting national headlines , Omsk region authorities have vowed to draft “ an individual study plan for his distance learning period , ” The Siberian Times reported .
Whether or not they ’ ll provide him and 39 fellow villagers with a better internet connection remains to be seen .

Alexei Dudoladov goes by “Omskiy Kolkhoznik” (Farmer from Omsk) on TikTok, where his videos of village life have racked up millions of views and likes in a year. But because his remote Siberian village only gets a 2G signal, Dudoladov has to get creative to upload his work.
Alexei may have the coolest Zoom background in the world, but he’d rather not have to climb a tree for it.
“I have to go to the forest 300 meters away from the village and climb atop an 8-meter birch tree,” he shared in this week’s TikTok.
“I became a popular TikTok blogger this summer and I live-streamed from the birch tree.”
But after the institute where he studies went remote this week because of the coronavirus surge, Dudoladov has had to resort to tree-climbing again to attend his virtual classes.
Tilting the camera to show viewers how high he’s perched, the marine engineering student explains that “this is how I log into Zoom to speak with instructors and prove that I’m not skipping class.”
“But it’s not May and I have to sacrifice my health. I’ve already suffered double pneumonia,” Dudoladov, 21, says in the video appeal to his governor.
With the video going viral and getting national headlines, Omsk region authorities have vowed to draft “an individual study plan for his distance learning period,” The Siberian Times reported.
Whether or not they’ll provide him and 39 fellow villagers with a better internet connection remains to be seen.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-14--Russia Breaks One-Day Coronavirus Record With 22K Infections

Saturday 's increase of 22,702 Covid-19 cases brings the country 's official total to 1,903,253 , the world ’ s fifth-highest count behind France , Brazil , India and the United States .
Russia confirmed more than 22,000 coronavirus infections in a single day for the first time since the start of the pandemic as the authorities continue to hold off on widespread lockdown measures .
Russia 's coronavirus information center , whose daily figures are widely thought to be undercounted , confirmed 391 deaths nationwide , bringing the total death toll to 32,834 .
Monthly state statistics that scrutinize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Covid-19 between April and September , the latest available month .
While Moscow remains the epicenter of the pandemic within Russia , the virus has increasingly strained hospitals in Russia 's regions as the second wave has taken hold , with severe shortages of hospital beds , staff and medicine reported across the country .
In recent weeks Russia has re-imposed a nationwide mask mandate and advised regional leaders to close late-night bars , nightclubs and other establishments but has held off on wider lockdown measures , citing the need to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their hopes on the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine , which is currently undergoing Phase 3 trials involving 40,000 volunteers after being approved in August .
The vaccine , which has been administered to several high-ranking officials as well as medics and other at-risk groups , has been met with skepticism by international observers , who warn that mass trials guaranteeing its safety and effectiveness must be completed before administering it to civilians .
Sputnik V 's developers this week said that the vaccine 's interim data shows a 92 % effectiveness rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Germany 's BioNTech that their vaccine , which is also undergoing Phase 3 trials , was 90 % effective at preventing Covid-19 .

Saturday's increase of 22,702 Covid-19 cases brings the country's official total to 1,903,253, the world’s fifth-highest count behind France, Brazil, India and the United States.
Russia confirmed more than 22,000 coronavirus infections in a single day for the first time since the start of the pandemic as the authorities continue to hold off on widespread lockdown measures.
Russia's coronavirus information center, whose daily figures are widely thought to be undercounted, confirmed 391 deaths nationwide, bringing the total death toll to 32,834.
Monthly state statistics that scrutinize death certificates say 55,671 people have died from Covid-19 between April and September, the latest available month.
While Moscow remains the epicenter of the pandemic within Russia, the virus has increasingly strained hospitals in Russia's regions as the second wave has taken hold, with severe shortages of hospital beds, staff and medicine reported across the country.
In recent weeks Russia has re-imposed a nationwide mask mandate and advised regional leaders to close late-night bars, nightclubs and other establishments but has held off on wider lockdown measures, citing the need to keep businesses open.
Russian authorities have placed their hopes on the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine, which is currently undergoing Phase 3 trials involving 40,000 volunteers after being approved in August. The vaccine, which has been administered to several high-ranking officials as well as medics and other at-risk groups, has been met with skepticism by international observers, who warn that mass trials guaranteeing its safety and effectiveness must be completed before administering it to civilians.
Sputnik V's developers this week said that the vaccine's interim data shows a 92% effectiveness rate.
The interim results follow the announcement by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech that their vaccine, which is also undergoing Phase 3 trials, was 90% effective at preventing Covid-19.