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2025 in Belarus

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Decades:
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Events of the year 2025 in Belarus.

Incumbents

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Events

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Ongoing: Belarusian involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war; Belarus–European Union border crisis

January

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February

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  • 12 February – Three people detained in Belarusian prisons, including an American national and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Andrey Kuznechyk, are released from custody and sent to Lithuania following diplomatic intervention by the US.[2]

March

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  • 10 March – Lukashenko appoints Aleksandr Turchin as prime minister.[3]
  • 17 March – A Japanese resident of Gomel is convicted and sentenced by the Minsk City Court to seven years' imprisonment for spying for Japanese intelligence.[4]
  • 25 March – Lukashenko is inaugurated for a seventh term in office.[5]
  • 31 March – An American national is arrested for illegally entering Belarus after being discovered inside an empty train car that had arrived in Maladzyechna from Lithuania.[6]

April

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  • 30 April – Youras Ziankovich, a dual US-Belarusian national imprisoned for allegedly plotting to overthrow and assassinate Lukashenko, is released.[7]

May

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  • 7 May – Lukashenko issues pardons to 42 imprisoned opposition activists.[8]
  • 19 May – Lithuania files a case at the International Court of Justice against Belarus accusing it of organising the trafficking of migrants into its territory.[9]

June

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  • 21 June – Opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky and 13 other political prisoners are released from prison and deported to Lithuania following a pardon as a result of negotiations with Trump's envoy in Minsk.[10]

July

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  • 23 July – Russian president Vladimir Putin signs a law allowing Belarusian citizens living as permanent residents in Russia to vote in local elections and run for local office.[11]
  • 25 July – Journalist Danil Palianski is convicted and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on charges of treason and revealing state secrets.[12]

September

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  • 3 September – Andrei Podnebenny, a Russian political prisoner sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment by a Belarusian court in 2022 on charges including extremism, arson and vandalism, dies in custody at a jail in Mogilev.[13]
  • 4 September – A Polish Carmelite monk is arrested in Lyepyel on charges of spying on military drills involving Russia.[14]
  • 8 September – The Czech Security Information Service announces the dismantling of an espionage network operating across several European countries and run by the Belarusian KGB following a joint operation by the Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary, prompting the expulsion of a Belarusian diplomat in Prague.[15]
  • 11 September – The United States lifts sanctions against the Belarusian flag carrier Belavia following the release of 52 political prisoners by the Belarusian government. The prisoners are deported to Lithuania; however, opposition leader Mikola Statkevich refuses to be deported and is returned to prison.[16]
  • 12–16 September – The Zapad 2025 joint Russian-Belarusian military exercise is held, prompting Poland to close its border with Belarus.[17]
  • 16 September –
    • Lukashenko issues pardons to 25 people convicted on charges of extremism.[18]
    • Journalist Ihar Ilyash is sentenced to four years' imprisonment on charges of extremism.[19]
  • 19 September – Belarus expels a Czech diplomat in retaliation for the expulsion of a Belarusian diplomat from the Czech Republic on 8 September.[20]
  • 27 September – The International Paralympic Committee lifts the partial suspension of Russia and Belarus from competition that had been imposed since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022.[21]

October

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  • 13 October – At least 88 people are arrested nationwide on suspicion of involvement with the OSINT military monitoring group Belarusian Hajun that tracked Russian and Belarusian military activity in the country since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022.[22]
  • 22 October – Imprisoned journalist Andrzej Poczobut is awarded the Sakharov Prize for his reporting.[23]
  • 27 October – After multiple air balloon incidents, Lithuania closes its border with Belarus until November 30.[24][25]

November

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  • 20 November – The Episcopal Conference of Belarus announces the release of two Catholic priests imprisoned on political grounds following negotiations between the government and the Vatican.[26]
  • 22 November – Lukashenko issues pardons to 31 Ukrainian nationals.[27]

December

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Belarus-US relations

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This section is an excerpt from Foreign policy of the second Trump administration § Belarus.[edit]

Under Trump, US policy toward Belarus changed from isolation to engagement with Alexander Lukashenko's government. After Keith Kellogg's talks with Lukashenko in Minsk on June 21, 2025, Lukashenko released 14 political prisoners, including Sergei Tikhanovsky.[31]

Before his Alaska meeting with Putin, Trump called Lukashenko and called him "the highly respected President". In response, Lukashenko invited Trump and his family to visit Minsk; Belarusian state media reported that the invitation was accepted.[32] It was the first phone call between Lukashenko and an American president during Lukashenko's 31 year in power.[33]

On September 11, 2025, after a direct appeal from Trump, Belarus released 52 detainees, including 14 foreign nationals, in a step widely interpreted as part of a tentative rapprochement; in exchange, Washington eased certain sanctions on state airline Belavia, and Trump's envoy John Coale discussed reopening the US Embassy in Minsk while delivering a personal letter from Trump to Lukashenko. European officials and analysts noted the move as one of the largest single prisoner releases of Lukashenko's rule but remained wary of Minsk's motives and the absence of deeper reforms.[34][35][36][37] Lukashenko deported the released political prisoners; many of them were taken directly to Lithuania without passports; opposition figures labeled the transfers "forced deportations", arguing that political prisoners should have the right to remain in Belarus. Opposition leader Mikola Statkevich refused to cross into Lithuania and then disappeared, with allies fearing he was rearrested. While some freed prisoners publicly thanked Trump for securing their release, others said they were near the end of their sentences and wanted to go home. Critics also emphasized that the gesture fell well short of the roughly 1,200–1,400 political prisoners still held in Belarusian prisons.[36][38]

On 13 December, 2025, Lukashenko released 123 political prisoners including opposition leaders Maria Kalesnikava, Maxim Znak, Viktar Babaryka, Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski, and journalists Pavel Sevyarynets and Marina Zolotova in exchange for the lifting of sanctions on the Belarusian potash industry by the United States. They were exiled to Ukraine and Lithuania.[39]

Released political prisoners

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In 2025, more than 200 political prisoners were released, including Youras Ziankovich, Sergei Tikhanovsky, Ihar Losik, Maria Kalesnikava, Maxim Znak, Viktar Babaryka, Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski, Pavel Sevyarynets, Marina Zolotova, Alyaksandr Feduta.

Holidays

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Further information: Public holidays in Belarus

Source:[40][41]

Deaths

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Lukashenko Extends 30-Year Rule in Election Decried by Exiled Opposition". The Moscow Times. 27 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Belarus releases three prisoners, including US citizen and jailed journalist". France 24. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  3. ^ "Lukashenko appoints Alexander Turchin as Belarus's new PM". The Kyiv Independent. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  4. ^ "A Japanese man handed 7-year sentence in Belarus on charges of working for Japanese intelligence". AP News. 20 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Authoritarian leader of Belarus is sworn for a 7th term and tells his critics 'you have no future'". AP News. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  6. ^ "Belarusian authorities detain an American accused of arriving illegally on an empty train". AP News. 31 March 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Belarus releases US citizen who was jailed for years". AP News. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Belarus' authoritarian leader pardons 42 imprisoned activists". AP News. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Lithuania takes Belarus to top UN court over alleged smuggling of migrants". AP News. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Belarus Opposition Leader Tikhanovsky Freed From Jail". The Moscow Times. 21 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Belarusians Living in Russia Granted Right to Vote and Run in Local Elections". The Moscow Times. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Belarus journalist is convicted of treason and jailed for 10 years as crackdown on dissent continues". AP News. 9 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Russian Political Prisoner Dies in Belarusian Jail". The Moscow Times. 8 September 2025.
  14. ^ "Belarus detains Polish Carmelite monk for alleged spying". AP News. 6 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Romania, Czechia, and Hungary disband Belarusian espionage network in Europe". The Kyiv Independent. 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Belarus frees 52 prisoners, Lithuanian president says". AP News. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Poland сloses border with Belarus as Russian-Belarusian Zapad drills begin". The Kyiv Independent. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Lukashenko pardons another 25 political prisoners ahead of Unity Day". The Kyiv Independent. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  19. ^ "Belarus sentences journalist to 4 years in prison, days after release of over 50 political prisoners". AP News. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  20. ^ "Belarus expels Czech diplomat in tit-for-tat move after Prague makes spy ring accusations". AP News. 20 September 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  21. ^ "International Paralympic Committee Lifts Partial Suspensions of Russia, Belarus". The Moscow Times. 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Belarus detains at least 88 over alleged ties to military monitoring group, rights watchdog says". The Kyiv Independent. 15 October 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Jailed journalists win Sakharov Prize for speaking against injustice, European Parliament says". AP News. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  24. ^ "Lithuania says it will shoot down Belarus smuggler balloons disrupting air traffic". Reuters. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  25. ^ "Lithuania to keep Belarus border shut until November 30 over balloon incidents". Reuters. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  26. ^ "Belarus frees 2 imprisoned Catholic priests after talks with Vatican". AP News. 20 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  27. ^ "Lukashenko pardons 31 Ukrainian citizens held in Belarus". The Kyiv Independent. 22 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  28. ^ "Sport court allows Russian, Belarusian skiers to target Olympics". France 24. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  29. ^ "Belarus Frees Opposition Leader, Nobel Laureate in Deal With U.S." The Moscow Times. 13 December 2025. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  30. ^ "Lithuania arrests 21 in alleged cigarette smuggling ring using weather balloons from Belarus". AP News. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  31. ^ "Diplomacy or deal-making? Unpacking the U.S.-Belarus prisoner deal". The Kyiv Independent. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  32. ^ Nechepurenko, Ivan. "Hours Ahead of Meeting Putin, Trump Calls Kremlin's Closest Ally". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  33. ^ Шрайбман, Артем. "Лукашенко впервые за 31 год поговорил с президентом США. Трамп позвонил ему по пути на Аляску Почему это событие можно назвать прорывом в отношениях Беларуси и Запада? Объясняет Артем Шрайбман (Carnegie Politika)". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  34. ^ Tarasova, Darya; Kent, Lauren; Hansler, Jennifer (11 September 2025). "Belarus pardons scores of prisoners 'at the request' of Trump, Lukashenko says". CNN. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  35. ^ Sytas, Andrius (12 September 2025). "Freed prisoners thank Trump but some say they would rather have stayed in Belarus". Reuters. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  36. ^ a b Sauer, Pjotr (11 September 2025). "Belarus frees 52 political prisoners, including foreigners, after visit by US delegation". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  37. ^ "Belarus Frees 52 Political Prisoners and Gets a Warm Thank-You From Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  38. ^ "Лукашенко принял посланника Трампа и освободил десятки заключенных. Но ветеран оппозиции Статкевич отказался покинуть Беларусь". BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). 11 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  39. ^ "Belarus Frees Opposition Leader, Nobel Laureate in Deal With U.S." The Moscow Times. 13 December 2025. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  40. ^ "Belarus Public Holidays 2025". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  41. ^ "National and Public Holidays and Commemorative Dates". Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  42. ^ "Памёр Эдвард Зайкоўскі". Наша Ніва (in Belarusian). 22 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  43. ^ "Умер белорусский композитор Виктор Копытько". Наша Ніва. 14 December 2025.
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