Hanna Liubakova
@hannaliubakova.bsky.social
970 followers 33 following 650 posts
Belarusian independent journalist in exile | Non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council | Telling Belarus as it is
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hannaliubakova.bsky.social
Two Russian drones crashed in #Belarus's Brahin district near the #Ukraine border. One exploded near a gas station, the other hit a house but didn't detonate. Locals say: "They couldn't defuse it for a long time," according to the independent source from the region, Flagshtok.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
Glad to be attending #Forum2000. Do let me know if you are around!
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Belarus It’s been a month without any information about Mikalai Statkevich after he refused to get deported. The regime must reveal his whereabouts!
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
His detention, reportedly tied to a financial investigation into tax and management violations, marks a dramatic fall for a man long seen as untouchable. Though the exact charges remain unclear, the move signals a wider purge as Lukashenka tightens his grip on #Belarus's business elite.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Belarus Alyaksandr Shakutsin, one of Lukashenka's most powerful oligarchs and a longtime ally, was arrested in early October 2025. Once among the regime's most privileged insiders, Shakutsin built his fortune through state-backed deals and privatizations, controlling the industrial giant Amkodor.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
Lukashenka is in Tajikistan. Tajik children greeted him in Belarusian, but he couldn’t respond with even a single word in the language and said "thank you" in Russian instead. Shameful.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
On October 10, I’ll join Journalists for Human Rights and Global Affairs Canada for a panel on how authoritarian regimes target journalists and activists beyond their borders - and what we can do about it.

Held alongside the Riga Conference 2025, regester here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Riga Conference Side Panel Event on Transnational Repression and Exiled Russian & Belarusian Exiled Media
8:30-9:30am October 10. 2025 University of Latvia’s House of Science, Jelgavas Street 3, Riga.
docs.google.com
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
The regime recently arrested & repressed #Wikipedia editors in #Belarus. As a result, Belarusian-language sections are now experiencing record lows in article growth.

In July, only 361 new articles were created - a dramatic drop from the usual 900-1100 per month.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Belarus Andrzej Poczobut, journalist and political prisoner, was thrown again in a punishment cell for six months until February 2026. His health is very weak, yet the regime punishes him even more. His conditions and treatment expose ongoing human rights abuses.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
What a joy to speak at Reid Hall in Paris about the past five years of what happened with #Belarus & Belarusians.

My goal was to show what’s happening today - and why I’m most drawn to the situation inside the country.

I focused on political prisoners, independent media & the cost of resistance.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Belarus Terror continues daily. Stanislau Machalau and Sviatlana Yakubovich married while he was detained. He was released but both were later re-arrested. The regime is repressing entire families. What does it prove? Only that they can.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
Honored to see leaders of democratic #Belarus and #Ukraine, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Volodymyr Zelensky, meet in Denmark. Our countries' fates are profoundly linked - standing up to Russian aggression and fighting for freedom. We are united in the struggle for a democratic future.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Belarus The regime must reveal information about Mikalai Statkevich. Where is he? How is his health? Why was he released and was later driven away? This is unacceptable and very worrying that the regime is hiding him. Is he alive?
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Belarus 15 days without information about whereabouts of Mikalai Statkevich. Unknown people drove him away from the border with Lithuania. The regime knows where he is but doesn’t reveal it. We must pressure for the answer. I am worried about his health and life.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
The second layer: he openly admits the goal is to supply electricity to the Russian-occupied territories of #Ukraine. This is about deepening occupation, not energy or prosperity.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Belarus Lukashenka wants Russian money to build a new nuclear power plant in Belarus - despite the security risk to the entire continent. With poor technology, no standards, and zero international oversight, this project is a threat, not a solution.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
So glad to be attending the iMEdD Journalism Forum this year. We kicked off yesterday and continue discussions on journalism, trust, AI, and navigating the age of doubt today.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
Poland will open the border with #Belarus, announced PM Tusk.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
Białorusinka, a dziś reprezentantka Polski zdobyła medal w skoku wzwyż! Maria Żodzik pokonała poprzeczkę na wysokości 2,00 m, bijąc swój rekord życiowy i zapewniając Polsce jedyny medal w Tokio. Wielkie gratulacje dla Polski, bo to sukces nas wszystkich.

#Poland
#Belarus
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
A senior ruling Communist Party of China official arrived in #Belarus just as Poland closed its border with the country, further isolating Lukashenka's regime.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Poland Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński alerted that last night Belarusian and Russian drones attempted to breach Polish airspace. The situation remains highly tense with increased drone activity at the border.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
The absolute majority of 141 voted in favour of the report I advised on for @eesc.bsky.social.

Key topics: reforming AI & social media algorithms for better visibility of fact-based information, censorship in #Belarus, FIMI and propaganda. Now the report will be sent to EU institutions.
hannaliubakova.bsky.social
#Belarus The prison in Hlybokaye refuses to confirm that Mikalai Statkevich has been brought there. They know and are deliberately keeping his wife and society uninformed. This is the abduction of a released political prisoner.