Lukashenka has decided to use the army as a tool of punishment for failures in agriculture. After instructing the authorities to send “negligent” participants in the harvest campaign to serve as ordinary soldiers on the southern border, Defence Minister Viktar Khrenin reported on how his ministry intended to carry out the order. Siarhei Antusevich, Deputy Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), described the initiative as absurd.

The new Regulation on the National Council on Gender Policy reveals how the Belarusian authorities understand public dialogue. Put simply, they are discussing gender equality with themselves.

Former political prisoner and journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who was released on 28 April 2026 as part of an exchange of Belarusian and Polish prisoners, spoke in the European Parliament on 17 June and mentioned Vatslau Areshka.

On 17 June in Brussels, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Seamus Boland. During the meeting, the sides discussed the situation in Belarus and support for civil society. Particular attention was given to the state of the trade union movement in Belarus.