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The Belarusian side is prepared to resume operations at any border checkpoint if neighboring countries make such a decision, Chairman of the State Customs Committee Vladimir Orlovsky told the media following a meeting with the head of state in Minsk on 15 September, BelTA learned.
The Polish side closed border checkpoints before but this time it fully closed its border with Belarus, Vladimir Orlovsky noted. "If the closure is temporary, it will not significantly impact the overall flow of goods," Vladimir Orlovsky stated. "Ordinary people will suffer, those who did not manage to travel for vacation, business, or family matters.”
He assured that the Belarusian side is prepared to resume operations at any checkpoint if neighboring countries make such a decision. "If our neighbors show goodwill, we are ready. We have the personnel, and everything remains in place. Whichever checkpoint is opened, we are prepared to resume work literally within hours and carry out vehicle clearance and control. We hope that the checkpoints will be reopened. Things shouldn’t be otherwise between neighbors," Vladimir Orlovsky emphasized.
At the same time, the chairman of the State Customs Committee noted that coordinated work with the neighboring side has not yet been established, although Belarus is prepared to resume dialogue.
“For several years now, we have had virtually no contact with the customs services of Poland, Lithuania, or Latvia. The only remaining interactions occur directly at the border checkpoints and these are solely related to technical matters. We see how the neighboring side operates, and we act accordingly, responding to their actions,” Vladimir Orlovsky emphasized. “However, we have not refused dialogue and are prepared for it at any time, in any format. Unfortunately, the neighboring side has so far declined such dialogue.”
The Belarus-Russia joint strategic military exercise Zapad 2025 [West 2025] kicked off in Belarus on 12 September, the Belarusian Defense Ministry’s press service told BelTA.
The exercise will run until 16 September and will take place at training grounds in both Belarus and Russia.
Its objective is to practice coordinated actions between the Belarusian and Russian forces to ensure the military security of the Belarus-Russia Union State and readiness to repel potential aggression.
Key areas of focus include improving command and staff coordination in managing troops during defensive operations, enhancing interoperability between command structures and field training of personnel, and practicing joint responses to threats and efforts to stabilize conditions along the Union State’s borders.
Zapad 2025 is a scheduled event preceded by a series of preparatory maneuvers conducted in both countries.
In Belarus, the exercise is being held at training grounds located deep within the country's territory or in its eastern regions, and is defensive in nature.
Belarus will attract a concessional loan of 474.1 million Chinese yuan from the Export-Import Bank of China in 2025-2026. Corresponding resolution No.489 of 9 September by the Council of Ministers has been published on the National Legal Internet Portal, BelTA has learned.
According to the document, the preferential loan will be attracted for a 20-year term to implement the project to fit Belarusian healthcare institutions with medical equipment.
The resolution approves the draft loan agreement between the Government of Belarus, represented by the Finance Ministry, and the Export-Import Bank of China as a basis for negotiations.
The Council of Ministers authorized the Finance Ministry to conduct negotiations on the draft loan agreement, permitting it to make non-fundamental changes if necessary, and to sign the loan agreement upon reaching a consensus within the limits of the approved draft.
The resolution enters into force on the day of its adoption.
Belarus notified Poland and Lithuania about the drones that approached their territory this night, the press service of the Belarusian Defense Ministry quoted Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Defense Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Major-General Pavel Muraveiko as saying.
Pavel Muraveiko said: “As the Russian Federation and Ukraine exchanged blows using unmanned aerial vehicles this night, duty forces and assets of the air defense system of the Republic of Belarus constantly monitored the unmanned aerial vehicles that veered off course due to electronic jamming from both sides.”
The officer also stressed that some of the stray drones had been destroyed by the Belarusian air defense forces above the country’s territory.
The chief of the General Staff noted that via the existing communication channels from 23:00 on 9 September till 04:00 on 10 September the duty forces and assets exchanged information about the aerial situation and the radar situation with Poland’s and Lithuania’s duty forces and assets, thus notifying them about the approach of unknown aerial vehicles to the territory of these countries. “It allowed Poland to promptly respond to actions of the drones by scrambling its own duty forces,” he added.
The Polish side also informed the Belarusian combat duty units about the approach of unidentified aerial vehicles from Ukraine’s territory to the border of the Republic of Belarus. “Sharing information about the aerial situation is an important component in efforts meant to ensure security in the region as a whole and helps establish trust and reinforce security. The Republic of Belarus will continue honoring its commitments by sharing information about the aerial situation with the Republic of Poland and the Baltic states,” Pavel Muraveiko stressed.
The export of BELARUS machinery by the Belarusian tractor maker MTZ to Uzbekistan rose by 31% in January-August 2025 year-on-year, Mikhail Vardugin, Deputy Director for Commercial Affairs in the CIS Markets, Head of Promotion and Sale in the CIS at MTZ told BelTA.
“Since the beginning of the year, MTZ has shipped more than 2,300 units of BELARUS machinery to Uzbekistan. The most popular models include the 80X, 80.1, 82.3, 1221.3, and 1222.3. We’ve also established deliveries of BELARUS 2023 tractors and tractor kits. Shipments were carried out in accordance with signed contracts,” Mikhail Vardugin said.
On 2-3 September, MTZ showcased its tractors at an exhibition in Vitebsk as part of the 3rd Belarus-Uzbekistan Women’s Business Forum.
Falsification of history is a serious threat to national security, First Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus- Russia Union State, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko said at the plenary session of the Belarus-Russia Union State forum titled “The role of youth in preserving and protecting historical memory” at the Mogilev Oblast Glory Museum, BelTA has learned.
Igor Sergeyenko warned that collaborative efforts are needed to counter the rehabilitation of Nazism. He identified the falsification of history as a key tactic in modern information warfare, posing a serious threat to national security. “Using advanced technology certain narratives aim to replace our pride in our ancestors’ heroism with indifference, guilt, and a sense of cultural inferiority to the West. This strategy fuels nationalism, inter-ethnic hatred, and virulent Russophobia,” Igor Sergeyenko said. He highlighted examples of this trend, including blaming the USSR for starting World War II and, in the Baltic states, even criminalizing the celebration of Victory Day, effectively denying people the right to honor a sacred part of their history and identity.
The Day of Belarusian Written Language was celebrated in Moscow with an exhibition and a performance, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Embassy in Russia.
On the evening of 4 September, the business and cultural center of the embassy hosted the opening of the literary and documentary exhibition “Volat Slova i Dumki”, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of People’s Writer of Belarus Ivan Naumenko. The exhibition highlights both well‑known and lesser‑known pages of the life and creative path of this master of the native word.
The program also included a performance “Deti. Versty”, based on the works of People’s Poet of Belarus Yakub Kolas. The performance was staged by the Yakub Kolas National Academic Drama Theater.
On the morning of 4 September, the embassy hosted a roundtable discussion titled “Fiction as a path to one another,” organized within the framework of the 38th Moscow International Book Fair. The event brought together heads of writers’ organizations of Belarus and Russia, publishers, and authors from both countries. They discussed the interconnection and interaction of literatures, international literary exchange and the sharing of spiritual values, issues in comparative study of national literatures, new joint projects and prospects for cooperation between writers’ organizations.
Photos courtesy of the Belarusian Embassy in Russia.
Children from Palestine were invited to the New Year Eve's children's performance in the Palace of the Republic attended by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, BelTA learned.
“We came to Belarus with five kids. They have been to the circus and the New Year's performance, which was their first ever experience. Their impressions are unforgettable," mother Elena Shaat said.
Her children do not speak Russian and were a little shy to talk to journalists. The conversation continued with their mother and touched on serious matters. Her husband is still in the Gaza Strip. Elena, a native of Belarus, managed to evacuate with her children away from the conflict zone. The family has now settled in Grodno Oblast and is trying to organize their life in the absence of husband and father.
“I have one wish (for the New Year). The only wish is to take my husband out of the Gaza Strip. To be honest, I have no other wishes. We have been here for a month and a half, without my husband. I came with five kids. We are slowly settling in, getting used to life here. But, of course, it's very hard for us without dad. I wish we could take him out of the Gaza Strip. Things have not worked out so far. We applied to the Red Cross and the Foreign Affairs Ministry,” Elena Shaat stated. “Israel did not approve the lists and did not allow both of us to cross the border. Of course, it is very difficult for me with five children here. The kids will start school after the New Year. My fifth child is disabled. He has cerebral palsy.”
“All our thoughts are in Gaza. We are worried about military events. Taking our father out of there is the most important thing for us," Elena added.
She met her husband in Belarus. He studied at the medical university in Minsk in the 1990s. Then they went to Palestine where they had been living for about 20 years.
A girl from another family, Nakhet, on the contrary, speaks Russian quite fluently, although she is not yet confident. She is 12 years old, and she shared her impressions of the New Year's performance. “I am happy. There was a very funny robot. I love to be in Belarus,” she said.
It was the first such performance for Nakhet. She would like to get a flower for the New Year, and to celebrate the holiday with her parents so that it would be fun all around. She wishes peace and goodness to all people.
Written by belta.by
The Our Children charity campaign is all about compassion and devotion to the Fatherland, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Leonid Zayats said as he visited the social-pedagogical center of Oshmiany District as part of the Our Children charity campaign, BelTA has learned.
"It's an important campaign. It is the government taking care of children. It is about compassion, kindness and devotion. We want the younger generation to be worthy citizens of the country. We want them to be compassionate, kind, to notice people around them, to help out and become part of the close-knit society,” Leonid Zayats stated. "We, adults, are happy to take part in this campaign as we raise our kids in the spirit of friendship, patriotism and loyalty to the country.”
The New Year's charity campaign Our Children has been held in Belarus every year since 1995. The purpose of the campaign is to support children who are in need of help and support.
Written by belta.by
Belarus' national New Year Tree has made it into the top 10 tallest New Year trees in the CIS, BelTA learned from the data of the TourStat portal.
The country's national New Year Tree, 30 meters high, is located on Oktyabrskaya Square in Minsk. Its official lighting ceremony took place on 15 December.
According to the rating, the top ten tallest New Year trees in the CIS countries include trees in Ashgabat (44m), Yerevan (37m), Tashkent (35m), Baku (34m), Bishkek (32m), Minsk (30m), Dushanbe (30m), Moscow (25m), Astana (25m) and Almaty (20m).
The only real New Year tree among those ranked in the capitals of the CIS countries is Russia's national New Year tree, 25m high, placed on the Sobornaya Square of the Kremlin in Moscow.
Written by belta.by
