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Following an operational meeting at the Minsk City Executive Committee, Marina Tolstik, Director General of the Minsk City Housing and Utilities Administration, talked about how Minsk handled the aftermath of the Ulli snowstorm, BelTA has learned.
“Indeed, the weekend was intense. In response to the recent storm, the housing and utility sector enterprises organized extensive cleanup efforts: approximately 1,500 workers were mobilized for comprehensive cleanup operations. Other utility staff also joined in,” Marina Tolstik stated.
Every day, over 200 units of equipment were used to clear the areas. “The utility enterprises are now equipped with small-scale tractors which proved very useful. More than 120 units of such small-scale machines were employed to assist workers in the comprehensive cleanup,” Marina Tolstik said.
She also expressed gratitude to the residents who actively participated in cleaning up courtyard areas and parking spaces. “Overall, we can conclude that Minsk's housing and utilities enterprises successfully managed the weather-related challenges,” she emphasized.
However, there is always room for improvement: Minsk housing and utility sector continues its work of clearing snow from courtyard areas even today. To ensure safety and cleanliness in the courtyards, 176 units of equipment, 47 small-scale tractors and 1,813 workers for comprehensive cleaning and property maintenance, along with other employees of the housing maintenance offices, have been mobilized.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko addressed several pressing international issues during an awards ceremony in Minsk. His most striking remarks concerned the situation around Venezuela, specifically the forced extradition of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores to the USA, as well as the future course of events. BelTA brings together all the Belarusian leader’s remarks on the matter.
Speaking about Venezuela, the president emphasized that the friendly people of that country once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Belarus. “If someone has forgotten, I have not. And to some extent, I would not say they saved our country but they strongly supported us. In the time of [former Venezuela President Hugo] Chavez, when they worked together with Nicolas Maduro. I visited there often, knew them both,” the head of state said.
On the causes and consequences of the U.S. operation
“A short while ago I said that if the Americans wanted a second Vietnam, they would get it. However the situation develops, I believe they heard this. And now they are threatening Venezuela with some kind of ground operation. I think they fully understand that such an operation will not end in their favor. Thousands will die, including Americans. I believe neither Donald nor others want this,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
“But you must clearly understand: the USA is a very complicated country. It is not like ours, not even like Russia or other countries. I think this is most likely a concession by Donald Trump to the military. Remember how they fled from Afghanistan, how people were clinging to the landing gear of airplanes, falling on the runway? A disgrace. They needed to show that they are capable of something,” the Belarusian leader said.
Belavia plans to continue expanding its flight network, the airline’s Director General Igor Cherginets told a press conference dedicated to the launch of flights to Thailand, BelTA has learned.
According to Igor Cherginets, Thailand is a highly anticipated destination. Load factors for the first flights are high. Plans include launching air service to Jordan and Tunisia in the spring, as well as opening up new Vietnamese resorts for Belarusian travelers. A flight program to Nha Trang is scheduled to begin on 31 March, and to Da Nang (one of the country’s five centrally-managed cities) in May.
The year 2025 was a breakthrough for the airline, with 10 new or resumed routes launched.
“We are opening flights to U-Tapao today, and to Phuket from 11 January. Thailand is our fourth long-haul destination,” Igor Cherginets said.
The airline expects the routes to be in demand. The schedule will be adjusted according to demand.
Last year, Belavia carried 2,093,224 passengers, an increase of 8.4% compared to 2024. Passenger traffic grew by 11.2%.
In June, the airline introduced its first long-haul aircraft, an Airbus A330-200. October was a busy month: Belavia’s first-ever long-haul flight from Minsk to Sanya took off on 8 October; flights to Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island began on 12 October; the charter program to Oman was resumed on 24 October 24; and Sri Lanka was added to the route network from 28 October.
The flight program is developing not only from Minsk. As many as 1,675 flights were operated from regional airports, serving 145,112 passengers.
A separate focus is cargo transportation. In 2025, the airline transported 3,308 tonnes of cargo (an increase of 59.7%), and cargo turnover almost doubled.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko heard a report from Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Kubrakov on 8 January, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.
The head of state was briefed on the situation during the recent holidays, efforts to ensure order during public events, and specifics of crimes and offenses during this period. It was noted that the operational situation in the country is calm and under control.
Ivan Kubrakov also reported on a readiness inspection that has begun within the Internal Troops and certain units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. These measures are scheduled activities that are being implemented in accordance with instructions previously given by the head of state. The inspection includes checks on equipment operability and personnel coordination.
Furthermore, in light of the challenging weather the Ministry of Internal Affairs provides assistance in regions and in the city of Minsk with snow clearing. Necessary measures have also been taken by the State Traffic Inspectorate.
Children of the Belarusian diaspora from Russia attended the New Year’s celebrations held at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian embassy in Russia.
“As part of the Our Children charity campaign, children of the Belarusian diaspora from Tatarstan, Komi, Smolensk, St. Petersburg, Samara, and Moscow visited the National Christmas Tree show at the Palace of Independence. The children dove into the New Year festivities of Minsk, where they attended themed workshops and the theatrical performance How to Become the Snow Maiden?,” the embassy said.
All the young participants of the campaign received New Year’s gifts from Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The trip for children of the Belarusian diaspora in Russia to Minsk has been organized for the fourth consecutive year with the support of the Belarusian embassy in Russia and the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy of Belarusians in Russia.
Chairman of the Belarusian People’s Congress and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko urged judges to carry out their duties based on the principle of justice. He made these remarks during a swearing-in ceremony for judges of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, BelTA has learned.
“I swore to myself that I would do everything to ensure justice in society to the best of my ability. Remember, I said (and you, as lawyers, will understand it) that not everything can be written into law. Yet we share one spirit, one foundation, and one guiding principle: justice. And it falls first and foremost to you to uphold it. Be fair to our people and to our nation. I wish you happiness, good health, and a long life. May your work serve the good of our country and our people,” the head of state said.
Thanks to the acquisition of Airbus A330-200 long-haul aircraft, Belavia has for the first time begun flying to China’s Hainan Island, Vietnam’s Phu Quoc, and Sri Lanka. Flights to Thailand are scheduled for January. The airline is currently developing more than a dozen new routes for the near future, including destinations in Jordan, Tunisia, and various Chinese cities, Belarus’ Transport and Communications Minister Aleksei Lyakhnovich said in an interview with the Economy of Belarus Magazine.
Belavia operates regular flights from Minsk National Airport and the airports of Gomel, Brest, and Mogilev to 22 airports in 12 countries. In 2025, charter flights were launched from Minsk to Salalah (Oman) and Ras Al Khaimah (UAE). The first regular flights also began from Brest to St. Petersburg and from Mogilev to Moscow. In December, flights resumed from Minsk to Almaty, and in January 2026 service to Israel will restart.
"In 2025, Belavia’s fleet was expanded with three long-haul Airbus A330-200 aircraft. This was a landmark event not only for our national carrier but for all of Belarusian civil aviation. The capabilities of these airliners allow long-distance flights without refueling. Two aircraft are already operating on existing routes, and another is planned to enter service by February," the minister stressed.
Given the growing demand among Belarusians for air travel and the popularity of new tourist destinations, the priority task in the near term will be further expansion of the fleet. Next year, Belavia plans to purchase several more aircraft.
The national carrier’s fleet is equipped with comfortable Boeing, Embraer, and Airbus aircraft, all meeting international safety standards.
The year 2026 is of paramount importance to the nation, and there is no room for failure, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he heard a report from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Russia Aleksandr Rogozhnik on 5 January, BelTA has learned.
The ambassador took the opportunity to congratulate the president on the New Year and the upcoming Christmas.
Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed gratitude for the congratulations and emphasized: “A very important year for us is beginning. There is no room for failure. God has been merciful to us: the snow has fallen and covered the crops (the planting went quite well, and the seedlings look good). So overall, the situation is all right across the country. Now we just have to do our part. Therefore, the new year is the start of new endeavors for us.”
Around 1,100 passenger cars are waiting to enter Poland, BelTA learned from the State Border Committee of Belarus.
The busiest route for passenger cars to enter the European Union is via the Polish border checkpoint Terespol (Brest on the Belarusian side), with 800 vehicles queuing. Over the past four days, the neighboring side handled 29% of the normal number of vehicles.
The fewest vehicles crossed into the neighboring territory via the border checkpoint Kuznica Bialostocka (Bruzgi on the Belarusian side): only 19% of the norm. More than 180 passenger cars queue here. Some 100 passenger cars are waiting at the Bobrowniki border checkpoint (Berestovitsa on the Belarusian side). The Polish side has allowed 77% of the standard traffic volume from Belarus through this checkpoint.
Furthermore, about 40 passenger cars have been registered at the Lithuanian border crossing Medininkai (Kamenny Log on the Belarusian side).
During his visit to Horizont Holding Company on 31 December, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko officially inaugurated the mass robotic production of artificial intelligence-powered televisions, BelTA has learned.
This production is unique within the CIS and Europe.
The new production operates based on a “lights-out” principle with virtually no human intervention. All key operations are performed by industrial robots and automated systems integrated into an end-to-end digital production management cycle. Every stage, from panel assembly to final quality control, relies on machine vision, deep learning algorithms, and predictive analytics. This system checks approximately 500 parameters on each television, achieving a nearly zero defect rate.
The facility will produce not just TV sets, but next-generation automated devices that function as multimedia centers, intelligent assistants, and smart home control hubs.
