This marks the fifth known prisoner of war (POWs) swap of 2025 and the 64th since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022 The suspension reportedly affected 11 shipments of artillery shells and weapons from Dover Air Force Base and a U.S Trump said that Russia has grown more willing to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine following a sharp decline in oil prices Poland will hold presidential elections on May 18 as the country faces key debates over social policy and national security that could shape its political trajectory The annual report said Russia is using aggressive tactics such as unauthorized airspace incursions and close encounters with NATO ships and aircraft including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones located about 70 kilometers northwest of Donetsk remains one of the most fiercely contested sectors of the front where Russia has concentrated its main offensive efforts since March (Updated: May 6, 2025 11:41 am)Ukraine's drones target Moscow second night in a row, Russian official claims, ahead of Victory Day parade. Debris from one of the drones reportedly fell on the Kashirskoye Highway The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce." Vice President Mike Pence said Putin "only understands power." About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression (Updated: May 6, 2025 9:36 am)War analysis France is sending Ukraine more AASM Hammer bombs — here's what they can do Polish President Andrzej Duda said the United States has tools that can effectively influence the Kremlin arguing that only President Donald Trump has real leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians abducted from Ukraine were reportedly held there The chamber was located on Belarusian government-owned property in the town of Naroulia The Russian military has reportedly set up a camp in Naroulia for people captured in Kyiv Oblast during the early stages of the full-scale war human rights activists described the Naroulia camp as a place where the treatment of civilian hostages “was among the most brutal.” Polekhina’s words echo those of former prisoners who went through Naroulia One could hear constant screaming there,” said Bohdan Lysenko a soldier with the Ukrainian Armed Forces who was captured by the Russian military and brought to the camp in March 2022 the camp was located in the compound owned by Pripyatski Alyans on Kamsamolskaya Street the company conducts catering and food procurement for regional institutions The company did not comment on the allegations and advised to contact local authorities for more information the Ukrainian-American organization that records human rights violations suggests that the actions of the Russian military in Naroulia may indicate a violation of the Geneva Convention provisions which prohibit forced displacement of civilians and ban keeping military personnel and civilians at the same detention center The Russian military was reportedly present at the location at least until early May 2022 Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko provided Belarus territory for Russia to launch the all-out war against Ukraine in February 2022 served as a launchpad for Russian missile attacks against Ukraine Belarus also took part in the abduction of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories Maria Yeryoma is a Belarusian media manager and a contributing author at the Kyiv Independent She recently led the commercial "special projects" at TUT.BY — the biggest independent online media in the country leaving 15 employees in custody and forcing others to leave the country to continue their work Maria moved to Kyiv and helped establish a new media outlet the largest English-language newsletter about her native country Get quality reporting directly into your inbox Russian soldiers allegedly accused Ukrainian detainees of espionage or sabotage with some reportedly disappearing after interrogation The investigation sheds light on Belarus’ role in enabling Russia’s military operations and alleged human rights violations located near the Belarusian-Ukrainian border in the small town of Naroulia operated in a former industrial complex during the spring of 2022 Witnesses described overcrowded conditions Ukrainian men accused of resisting Russian occupation were reportedly interrogated and mistreated by Russian military personnel One former detainee recounted beatings and psychological abuse during interrogations intended to extract information about Ukrainian military activities Russian soldiers allegedly accused detainees of being spies or saboteurs with some individuals forcibly disappeared after questioning The camp’s strategic location near the Pripyat River and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone allowed Russian forces to transport Ukrainian civilians across borders without attracting international scrutiny Satellite imagery and testimonies suggest that hundreds of civilians may have passed through the facility before it was abandoned in mid-2022 following Russia’s retreat from northern Ukraine The investigation raises concerns about Belarus’ complicity in potential breaches of international law including violations of the Geneva Conventions Belarus has facilitated acts that human rights organizations describe as war crimes “These filtration camps cannot be built without relevant government officials giving their consent this is a war crime,” said Yulia Polekhina Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s administration has not responded to requests for comment The discovery of the camp underscores Belarus’ overlooked role in Russia’s war against Ukraine BIC’s findings indicate that Belarusian territory has been used not only as a staging ground for military operations but also for the detention and mistreatment of civilians Human rights organizations have condemned filtration camps as part of a broader pattern of war crimes committed by Russian forces These facilities are believed to facilitate the forced deportation of Ukrainian civilians to Russia and suppress resistance in occupied territories Belarusian and Russian officials have denied the existence of such camps or any mistreatment of civilians BIC’s report calls for international scrutiny and independent monitoring of border regions to prevent further abuses and ensure accountability Support from readers like you helps OCCRP expose organized crime and corruption around the world you’ll be directly supporting investigative journalism as a public good You’ll also gain access to exclusive insights and benefits A young Ukrainian journalist believed in truth and justice She was 27 when she died in a Russian prison while trying to.. In a chilling example of Russia’s political repression Yury Dmitriev has been sent to solitary confinement After sentencing Joakim Medin for “insulting Erdoğan,” a Turkish court suspended the ruling but kept him jailed on separate.. (Photo by Russian Foreign Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images)Russian troops operated a torture chamber on Belarusian state-owned property in 2022 Over 150 Russian drones flew into Belarusian airspace in November — three times the previous monthly record of incursions The European Parliament urges stronger sanctions on Belarus and North Korea for aiding Russia’s war effort Sanctioned Belarusian potash producer Belaruskali files 1 billion euro arbitration claim against Lithuania over terminated transit Nineteen foreign nationals jailed in Belarus for alleged "undercover activities," Viasna human rights group reports Russian troops operated a torture chamber on government-owned property in Belarus in the spring of 2022 the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC) reported on Nov Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians abducted from Ukraine’s Kyiv Oblast were held in the town of Naroulia some 50 kilometers from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border The torture chamber was reportedly operated between March and May 2022, in the early days of the full-scale invasion Polekhina’s claims echo those of former prisoners who went through Naroulia “They beat civilians there really hard – you could hear constant screaming there,” Bohdan Lysenko, a soldier with the Ukrainian Armed Forces who was captured by the Russian military and brought to the camp in March 2022 the camp in Naroulia was located in a compound on Kamsamolskaya Street — premises owned by the state-owned catering and food procurement company Pripyatski Alyans The company did not comment on the allegations and said local authorities should be contacted with requests for information One hundred and fifty-one Russian drones crossed into Belarusian airspace in November which was a nearly three-fold increase on the previous month the Belarusian Hajun military monitoring group has reported Russian drone incursions into Belarus began in July In November, Belarusian Hajun spotted 148 Kamikaze-type drones and three reconnaissance drones of unknown type Belarusian aviation downed three UAVs; while another 82 drones returned to Ukraine or Russia and the locations of a further 66 were lost The spike of incursions has occurred in tandem with intensified Russian drone attacks on Ukraine to which Ukraine says it has responded with improved electronic warfare measures citing Ukrainian military expert Petro Chernyk that Ukrainian forces can either “ground” the Shaheds render them “locationally lost,” or misdirect them to fly into Russian or Belarusian airspace Belarusian authorities have so far confirmed downing only two Russian drones over Belarus: over the southern city of Homel and its surrounding oblast on Sept. 5 and on Oct. 20 authorities subsequently detained the owner of the house from which a video of the crash was recorded Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has previously said that the Belarusian Air Force downs “a lot of drones,” claiming on Oct 4 that both Russian and Ukrainian drones had breached Belarus’s airspace No proof of Ukrainian drones entering Belarusian airspace has ever been presented by the Belarusian authorities Minsk never publicly raised objections about the reported drone incursions with Moscow — a key ally The European Parliament has urged its member states to “further broaden and strengthen sanctions” against Belarus and North Korea for aiding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine according to a resolution published on Nov Sanctions have already been imposed on Belarus for its role as a co-belligerent in Russia’s war. However, not having faced such a strict Western embargo as Moscow, Minsk has been helping Russia to side-step sanctions on military and dual-use goods According to the resolution as well as providing its territory for Russia to stage attacks on Ukraine Belarus has supplied Russia with “substantial deliveries” of arms and ammunition In addition to broadening sanctions against Belarus the MEPs called to add Chinese entities and individuals supportive of Russia’s aggression to the EU sanctions list and North Korea and warned of the implications of authoritarian states forming alliances a member of Belarusian exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s shadow cabinet emphasized the need for the harmonization of sanctions “It is a big mistake to help Ukraine while allowing Russia to bypass sanctions through Lukashenko,” Latushka said Belarusian companies supplied Russia with $125 million worth of microchips, $400,000 of which Russia obtained in circumvention of sanctions imposed on both countries, according to a recent investigation by the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC) used in producing Su-34 and Su-35S fighter jets and Kalibr cruise missiles were reportedly delivered between September 2022 and June 2024 Norwegian risk consultancy firm Corisk estimates that 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) worth of goods reached Russia via Belarus in 2022-2023 Belarusian potash fertilizer producer Belaruskali has filed a statement of claim against Lithuania in the arbitration process worth 1 billion euros (over $1.05 billion), Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta reported on Dec The world’s second-largest producer of crop fertilizers and Belarus’s top exporter, Belaruskali, faced European sanctions in 2021 over its key role in funding the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and the repressions against workers on strike following the fraudulent 2020 presidential elections In February 2022, Lithuania terminated the transit agreement of its state-owned railway company with Belaruskali forcing the company to reroute from the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda to Russian ports the European Commission banned the import and transit of Belarusian potash due to the Lukashenko regime’s support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine Belaruskali and its then-director Ivan Halavaty and exporting company BKK tried to argue against the ban in the Court of Justice of the European Union the court refused to lift the sanctions on Sept confirming the role of Belaruskali in funding the Lukashenko regime and involvement in the suppression of civil society At least 19 foreign citizens have been tried and sentenced in Belarus for alleged “undercover activities,” the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on Nov Persecution of foreign nationals intensified following the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the Belarusian human rights organization and Germany have been charged under vaguely defined cases of “cooperation” with an unspecified wide range of foreign or international entities The crime does not imply the handling of classified information but still comes with a stiff three to seven-year prison sentence for those convicted Among the accused was Japanese citizen Nakanishi Masatoshi who was arrested in July 2024 for alleged gathering of military intelligence was charged with six years of imprisonment As with most “undercover activities” cases so the exact nature of the accusations remains unknown to human rights groups According to Ukraine’s ambassador at large, Ihor Kyzym, at least 12 Ukrainians are being held in Belarus in politically motivated cases As part of the historic East-West prisoner swap in August, Belarus released a German citizen, Rico Krieger who had been sentenced to capital punishment His charges also included “undercover activities.“ After crushing public protests following fraudulent presidential elections in 2020 Lukashenko’s regime resorted to politically motivated trials to silence its opponents Since the onset of the all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine Belarusian law enforcers have also been cracking down on any form of support of Ukraine Currently, Belarus has 1,289 political prisoners at least 94 Belarusians were sentenced to prison terms and 1,671 underwent detention for expressing pro-Ukrainian views SatNews Maxar’s recent satellite imagery reveals significant damage to residential and civilian infrastructure in and around multiple Ukrainian cities Russian self-propelled artillery and multiple rocket launchers (MRL) are seen deployed on the outskirts of Chernihiv oriented with their gun and MRL tubes oriented toward the city the aftermath of yesterday’s reported destruction of multiple Russian helicopters is seen at Kherson airfield a new large field hospital compound is identified in the town of Naroulia engineering equipment and attack and troop transport helicopters deployments are noted in the region