Belarus

One is a restaurateur who fled Belarus when he learned he was about to be arrested for criticizing President Alexander Lukashenko. Another was given the choice of either denouncing fellow opposition activists or being jailed. And one is certain his brother was killed by the country’s security forces. What united them is their determination to resist Lukashenko by fighting...

President Alexander Lukashenko defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24. But he also said he didn’t think it would “drag on this way.”

Russian and Belarusian tennis players have been banned from competing at this year’s Wimbledon tournament because of the war in Ukraine

Runners who had previously been accepted to represent the countries in the 2022 Boston Marathon and currently reside there will no longer qualify, the Boston Athletic Association said.

The Boston Athletic Association announced Wednesday that runners from Russia and Belarus who had previously qualified will no longer be allowed to compete in events due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency said Major General Vitaly Gerasimov was killed and other senior Russian Army officers “killed or wounded” near Kharkiv.

Eastern Europe’s technology worker talent is among the world’s strongest after Silicon Valley, and it is at risk now amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Brian Chesky, the company’s CEO and co-founder, announced the move on Twitter late Thursday as companies continue to boycott Russia.

Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from competing at the Paralympics because of their countries’ roles in the war in Ukraine.

The White House has announced additional sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus, including extending export controls that target Russian oil refining and entities supporting the Russian and Belarusian militaries.

The International Ice Hockey Federation banned Russia and Belarus until further notice while also stripping the 2023 World Junior Men’s Championship from Russia.

The International Olympic Committee released recommendations Monday to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from all sport competitions. FIFA followed shortly after with a ban on Russian teams, effectively withdrawing Russia from the World Cup.

Russian and Ukrainian officials sat down for talks Monday in Belarus as fighting continued throughout Ukraine.

The Biden administration’s actions mark the latest erosion of diplomatic ties with Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin, which has been hit with crippling sanctions.

Binance said it will not “unilaterally freeze millions of innocent users’ accounts,” but would block the accounts of individuals on sanctions lists.

Ukraine’s president has said the next 24 hours will be “crucial,” as Ukrainian troops, and citizens who have taken up arms, continue to fight invading forces.

Ukraine’s president says his country is ready for peace talks with Russia but not in Belarus, which was a staging ground for Moscow’s 3-day-old invasion.

The International Olympic Committee has urged sports bodies to cancel or move all events they plan to hold in Russia and Belarus and stop using the countries’ flags and national anthems

Belarussian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says the West must impose tougher sanctions on Russia and Belarus to deter them from further aggression.

American troops continued to arrive in Romania on Friday, as NATO allies reroute military forces to bolster security on the eastern flank.