Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Aleksei Talai, a public figure, Paralympian and motivational coach, founder of the Aleksei Talai Charitable Foundation, talked about the health recuperation program for children from Donbass in Belarus at a briefing for the press in Minsk, BelTA has learned.

Aleksei Talai said that he has been engaged in charity for a long time, even before the charitable foundation was set up. In this regard, he recalled the events of 2014, a coup d'état in Ukraine and the hostilities and civil war in Donbass that followed. He realized that people needed help. More so, he began to get information from people, primarily parents.

"It was hard to watch all this. My story started to come back in my mind [Aleksei Talai tripped on a German land mine, a relic of World War II, as a child, lost his legs and arms]. But that was the reality and something had to be done about it," he said.

Since the program was launched the Aleksei Talai Charitable Foundation has hosted groups of children from the DPR, LPR and Zaporozhye region in Belarus for health recuperation. "As a person with disabilities, as a simple disabled person, I wanted to focus on children with disabilities, children who were injured in hostilities and shelling," he explained.

Aleksei Talai recalled the boy Ivan and his story. The boy's younger brother was killed on the spot during shelling and he himself was injured, losing his arms and legs. The child's face was badly injured too. After a while, Aleksei met with Ivan's mother in Moscow as she insisted on a personal meeting with him. He considered it his duty to convey the boy a message that all was not lost and that he could have a happy life.

"It was very hard to look at these guys. Both in the Donetsk People's Republic where I went on a business trip on my own in 2021, and then, when we launched the program in Belarus. It is very difficult to talk to and hear their stories: some of them had their parents killed in front of their eyes," Aleksei Talai said, adding that the children needed rehabilitation.

The first group came from the DPR in September 2021. Those were nine children with disabilities, accompanied by seven adults, parents or authorized persons who had a notarized power of attorney for this. They had all the necessary documents drawn up, the Paralympian noted. The children underwent medical rehabilitation at the National Children's Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation, and then left by bus (they arrived by bus too).

Then, thanks to friendly relations with the national children's education and recreation center Zubrenok, the foundation was able to bring a fairly large group of physically healthy children. When the word of mouth spread that Belarus hosts children from the DPR for health recuperation, the foundation received more requests to host physically healthy children. "Of course, we could not refuse, and together with Zubrenok we were able to do it," Aleksei Talai said, adding that a fairly large group of more than 100 people holidayed in Zubrenok from September to October 2021.

Work on the rehabilitation of disabled children continued. There were many such children from Donbass who either became disabled due to the recent hostilities in the country, or were born with disabilities. “We welcomed everyone who needed this help in the first place,” the Paralympian emphasized.

In 2022, 14 children, accompanied by 10 adults from the DPR (all documents were properly executed), underwent rehabilitation at the National Children's Hospital For Medical Rehabilitation. The group came and left by bus.

“The program was gradually gaining momentum. This was my personal responsibility. Our charitable foundation and I, as its director, were in charge of this health recuperation program for children from Donbass. We were working very carefully. Every detail of our work was scrutinized. We did everything for these children to be able to come here, receive support and help and return to their families. No matter how good it can be abroad, our heart still longs home where we live, where we used to run barefoot in our childhood. Those children were also homesick, no matter how difficult thing were at their home. This is their land, and their parents and grandparents were waiting for them there,” Aleksei Talai said.

Later, in June 2022, the next group of 28 children came for rehabilitation to Belarus. A large group of 888 children came here in October 2022. The group was accompanied by 125 adults, parents or accompanying persons with all necessary notarized documents. Three shifts were organized for them at the children's health camp Dubrava in Soligorsk District. The group came and left by train.

The children from Donbass also enjoyed recuperation in the Belarusian regions. “We are very proud that the local authorities decided to follow this initiative. We are indeed one family,” the Paralympic athlete said. For example, 43 children, accompanied by adults, had recuperation holidays in Novopolotsk in December-January 2023. There was also a group from Gorlovka that was hosted by the Zelenyi Bor health center in Minsk Oblast.

Despite the fact that summer holidays are in full swing in Belarus, the charitable foundation is determined to find resources to host children from the most shelled regions, including Gorlovka.

“We, as citizens of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, are doing everything possible, as it has been for decades, to help those children in Belarus. Today this help comes through the charitable foundation of the Belarusian Paralympian who knows what mine-explosive wounds through a personal experience. I could not do otherwise. Today, many tens and thousands of Belarusian people have contributed to this project. They find our charitable foundation, its website, find an opportunity to support the rehabilitation of Donbass children in Belarus,” Aleksei Talai said.

According to him, Belarus understands that only together can we stand in this difficult time. It is good that the government, charitable and public organizations rallied together.

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A two-day visit of a delegation of the Chinese city of Guangzhou to Minsk ended on 19 June. During the visit the sides discussed promising avenues of cooperation between Minsk and Guangzhou, BelTA has learned.

Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Artyom Tsuran talked about the advancement of relations with China. In particular, he said: “We are very glad that our partners from China have fully lifted all the travel restrictions related to COVID-19. It is the first official delegation to come from one of our partner cities to Minsk. Minsk started developing relations with Chinese provinces quite a long time ago. The first agreement was signed back in 1992. All of it developed persistently and today we have six agreements with cities and provinces, including with Beijing.”

The official added that Minsk-Guangzhou relations were established in 2021. “These relations develop year after year and our trade turnover with China is getting close to $2.5 billion. We see that Chinese companies show interest in work with our country. They are interested in virtually all the export areas, including food,” the deputy head of the Minsk city administration noted.

Artyom Tsuran remarked that today's event is aimed at preparing a meeting of the top officials of Minsk and Guangzhou. “For the sake of preparing such visits we give our colleagues opportunities to visit education institutions, enterprises of the real sector of the economy, and retail outlets. Our guests were delighted by Minsk's infrastructure, but how convenient it is for receiving international delegations, including in the sphere of tourism. These matters were also in the center of attention,” he concluded.

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Deputy head of the Faculty for Education and Science - head of the Education and Methodology Department of the Faculty of the General Staff of the Armed Forces at the Military Academy of Belarus Colonel Andrei Bogodel told BelTA how Belarus responds to external challenges and threats.

BelTA hosted a roundtable session to discuss the tense situation unfolding in the immediate vicinity of the Belarusian border. According to Andrei Bogodel, the Belarusian leadership takes steps to protect the sovereignty and independence of Belarus. “What is being done in our country? We clearly understand that the developments on the western border, where about 17 exercises are currently underway, as well as on the southern border will entail a change in the entire geostrategy. First of all, fundamental documents are adopted in due time. In particular we have formalized in the Constitution our decision to renounce our neutral status. In addition, we have removed the wording about the non-nuclear status of the country,” Andrei Bogodel recalled.

The military expert also drew attention to the fact that the development of the national security concept is at the final stage. “In this document we have examined nine key domains of our work and included a new one - biological. This is important, given the situation with all these biological laboratories. We are also considering the adoption of a new military doctrine that will give clear answers to the questions related to unfriendly countries,” the expert emphasized.

Andrei Bogodel explained why this work is being done: “It is important to set our goals right: where we are going, who is opposing us, and what results we should achieve when it comes to deterring external aggression. And, of course, we should make sure that no one will be able to undermine us from within.”

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The bill “On people's militia” passed the second reading at the meeting of the ninth session of the House of Representatives of the seventh convocation on 15 June, BelTA has learned.

The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives by the Council of Ministers. The document passed the first reading on 31 May. The document lays out legal grounds for Belarus' citizens, foreign nationals and stateless persons permanently residing in the country to voluntarily participate in ensuring the observance of martial law in Belarus.

In particular, the bill defines the terms “people's militia”, “people's militia unit” and “people's militia volunteer”. It regulates general issues related to financial and material support for people's militia, restrictions on serving in people's militia, as well as the way people's militia units should be run. It also sets forth procedures related to formation, recruitment and deployment of people's militia units, their tasks, the powers of government agencies and officials in regulating activities of people's militia.

The Council of Ministers shall determine the scope of measures to create people's militia in peacetime by local executive and administrative bodies, the procedure for the formation (disbandment) of people's militia, recruitment and keeping records of volunteers, their joining and leaving of people's militia. The bill establishes the rights and responsibilities, legal and social security guarantees for volunteers.

During the preparation of the bill for its second reading, it was supplemented with a provision establishing the authority of local executive and administrative bodies and local defense councils to notify employers about the enlistment of workers in the militia. The provision on the necessity to notify the employer of joining the people's militia was excluded from the volunteer's duties.

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Nordwind Airlines will launch a direct air service from Pskov to Minsk on 19 July, BelTA learned from Minsk National Airport.

The flight has been organized together with the Ikar air carrier. Flights will be operated twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, on a comfortable 110-seat Embraer 190 aircraft.

The launch of the air service has been put together with the support of the government and Governor of Pskov Oblast Mikhail Vedernikov. Flights to the capital of Belarus will be the first international flights from Pskov airport in the last ten years.

Since the spring, Nordwind has launched direct regular flights to Belarus from Perm and Nizhny Novgorod.

The current schedule and ticket booking are available on the airline's website.

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A joint sitting of the two houses of the Belarusian Parliament is scheduled for 14 June, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives.

The Parliament will hear a report on the country's social sector and prospects of its further development by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko.

Members of the government, heads of the Healthcare Ministry, the Information Ministry, the Culture Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Sport and Tourism Ministry, the Labor and Social Security Ministry, the National Center for Health Improvement and Recuperation, as well as the commissioner for religious and national affairs will answer questions from members of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic.

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Belavia will increase its weekly frequencies to Turkmenbashi, BelTA learned from the airline.

From 19 August to 17 September the flights will be available twice a week: on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The airplane will depart from Minsk on Saturday at 20:00 and arrive in Turkmenbashi on Sunday at 2:10. The return flight will depart on Sunday at 3:10 and arrive in the capital of Belarus at 5:30.

All departure and landing times are shown in local time. The time difference between Belarus and Turkmenistan is two hours.

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The prime ministers of the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States toured the international exhibition “Eurasia is our home” in the Sirius federal territory on the sidelines of the Sochi meetings of the CIS Heads of Government Council and the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, BelTA learned from the Roscongress Foundation, the operator of the exhibition.

The heads of government studied the E321 electric bus made by Belarus' BKM Holding. BKM Holding Director General Taras Murog told the prime ministers that the level of localization of this electric bus is 80%.

According to the press service of BKM Holding, this electric bus is decorated with images of attractions of the EAEU states. Roll-ups standing nearby provide information about the origin of the component parts used in the production. The capacity of the E321 model is 86, the number of seats is 30. The battery can charge from 20% to 90% at 450A within 25 minutes. The electric bus can run 70 km on single charge.

According to the Industry Ministry of Belarus, the cooperation project “Eurasian Electric Bus” was initiated by Belarus in order to boost the industrial sector of the EAEU countries, reduce the export of raw materials, and strengthen technological sovereignty. “Cooperation allows making the most of the industrial capacities of the EAEU states, it helps EAEU producers not only to operate at a profit, but also to withstand fierce competition, which is currently a key factor in countering external challenges,” the Industry Ministry stressed.

The prime ministers were shown a model of the Belarus-Russia spacecraft for remote sensing of Earth. The Rosatom Corporation presented a project to build a nuclear power plant in the CIS countries: the Russian design has been used in the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

All in all, the exhibition showcases integration projects of Belarus, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as partners - Iran and Cuba. The exposition is running in the format of industry clusters divided into main thematic areas. Among them are manufacturing, finance, digitalization and digital development, healthcare, tourism, sports, science and education. The total area of the exhibition is more than 7,000 m2, of which more than 2,000 m2 is an outdoor exposition where agricultural, railway, and automotive equipment is on display. In total, over 200 companies are taking part in the event.

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 Almaty hosted the 23rd regular meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units on 7 June, BelTA learned from the press service of the CIS Executive Committee.

The meeting brought together delegations from Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the Secretariat of the CIS Council and Executive Committee.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the International Training and Methodology Center for Financial Monitoring, the Bureau for the Coordination of the Fight against Organized Crime and Other Dangerous Types of Crimes in the CIS, the Coordinating Council of Prosecutors General, the Anti-Terrorism Center, the Coordination Service of the Council of Border Troops Commanders, the Council of Heads of Migration Authorities, and the Secretariat of the Interstate Council for Combating Corruption, the Eurasian Group on combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, the secretariats of the CSTO and the EEC, and delegations of the financial intelligence units of India and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Greetings to the participants of the meeting were sent by CIS Deputy Secretary General Dauren Abayev. He noted that the Council promptly responds to emerging challenges and threats and makes a worthy contribution to ensuring security in the CIS, to improving the regulatory framework for cooperation and implementing the targeted interstate programs.

"The well-coordinated and purposeful work of the CIS Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units is one of the most important areas of cooperation in security and law in the CIS," Dauren Abayev emphasized. He thanked the members of the Council for organizing and conducting two significant operations Barrier and Orion that identified international terrorist centers and structures that assist them.

During the meeting, representatives of the CIS countries exchanged views on the current operational situation in the CIS states in the field of combating the legalization (laundering) of criminal proceeds and the financing of terrorism, the measures taken to stabilize it, including innovations in legislation.

One of the items on the agenda was about the setting up of an international center for assessing the risks of money laundering and financing of terrorism. Igor Malashevich, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Council, Advisor to the Department for Cooperation in the Field of Security and Countering New Challenges and Threats of the CIS Executive Committee, spoke about the progress in this project. He informed the meeting that the draft agreement on the establishment of the center was considered at four meetings of expert groups at the CIS headquarters. Now the document has been sent to the CIS countries to complete the internal approval procedures. It is planned to be included in the draft agenda of the CIS summit due in Bishkek in October.

The participants of the meeting took note of the progress report on the establishment of a SiNerGia system for the exchange of information between the financial intelligence units of the CIS countries. They decided to make amends to the regulations on the system and generally approved the draft of a new edition of the regulations on information exchange using SNerGia. In addition, the members of the council discussed issues related to the inventory of the legal framework for cooperation, the activities of the working groups at the council, and a number of other items.

The next meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units will be held in Russia during the final leg of the 3rd International Financial Security Olympiad in October this year.

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Head of the Belarusian Embassy office in Yekaterinburg Sergei Chichuk and Belarus' Honorary Consul Nikolai Vlasyuk met with Russia's Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Urals Federal District Vladimir Yakushev, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian diplomatic mission.

“The plenipotentiary envoy was told about Belarus' preparations as a partner country for the international industrial expo Innoprom 2023. The parties also discussed cooperation prospects between Belarus and the Urals Federal District in manufacturing, energy, agriculture, construction, and other sectors,” the embassy informed.

According to Vladimir Yakushev, cooperation between the regions of the Urals Federal District and Belarus remains vibrant. “It is important to keep it up. We are interested in launching promising projects in other industries - pharmaceuticals, agricultural engineering, microelectronics, chemical industry and others,” the plenipotentiary envoy emphasized.

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