Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

MINSK, 23 November (BelTA) – Order in Minsk will be restored. It is what governments are for. It is time for those who disagree with it to calm down. Aleksandr Barsukov, Aide to the President – Inspector for Minsk, made the statement on the air of the Belarusian TV channel STV, BelTA has learned.

“People are starting to wonder what's next. What will we come to?” the official said.

In the 1980s Aleksandr Barsukov was part of a squad deployed to maintain public order at mountain passes in Nagorno-Karabakh. The military were instructed to prevent serious clashes between civilians. In his opinion, today's situation has demonstrated how easily a conflict can be started and how difficult it is to calm things down later on. “Everything spiraled out of control within a short period of time. An interethnic conflict began. People had become relatives and their relations had been intertwined but these ties were disrupted then,” Aleksandr Barsukov said while talking about events abroad. He referred to Ukraine as an example and urged people to learn from mistakes of others instead of their own.

Aleksandr Barsukov also challenged the democratic character of European practices. “It is easy to judge and evaluate things from the outside. Take a look at yourselves, please,” he advised.

Aleksandr Barsukov believes that suggestions to ban citizens from filming police officers at work are a good idea. Such suggestions have been made in Europe as well. “I think it is right. People are at work. They are civil servants. There is no state without police. I am referring to France. Creating the image of a people's enemy is wrong,” he said.

“You will be afraid to go out [without police]. Are you going to return to the old times, to the 1990s?” Aleksandr Barsukov said to describe possible alternatives. Speaking about those recently arrested for participating in authorized rallies in Minsk, he noted that 68 of them had been previously on trial. “Do you want to return to the chaos of the 1990s?” he wondered.

Aleksandr Barsukov advised young Belarusians to talk to their parents about those difficult times. He suggested young Belarusians should spend less time online and trust their own eyes more. “Things are calm and peaceful. Yes, a group of 700-800 people gathered up somewhere and went for a walk. That's it. If you go away from this street, you will see calm. People work, enterprises work, students study, and streets are in good order,” he said.

Aleksandr Barsukov said that Minsk residents had used various channels to ask the authorities to restore order in the city. “The head of state did the right thing when he ordered to restore order within one week,” he added. “If they don't understand kindness, the authorities will do what an authority must.”

In conclusion Aleksandr Barsukov promised to do everything in his power not to cast a gloom on the forthcoming holiday – New Year's Eve.

MINSK, 20 November (BelTA) – HC Dinamo Minsk defeated HC Sochi 3-2 in overtime as the two teams faced each other at Minsk Arena as part of the 2020/21 KHL regular season on 19 November, BelTA has learned.

HC Sochi opened the scoring five minutes into the game. Sergei Shmelyov's sixth goal of the season put the Leopards ahead. The lead lasted five minutes before Alexei Protas tied it up.

In the second period, the home team took the initiative, outshooting Sochi 14-4 but it was Igor Rudenkov who made it 2-1 for the visitors in the 57th minute.

A late power play came to the rescue, with Shane Prince tying the game 11 seconds before the hooter. Another power play tipped the balance in overtime, with Brandon Kozun taking advantage to win it for Minsk.

The Bisons will be back in action on 21 November as they host HC CSKA Moscow, the leader of the Western Conference.

MINSK, 19 November (BelTA) – We need to engage as many Belarusians as possible in the nationwide dialogue, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko said at a meeting of the fourth session of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the seventh convocation on 19 November, BelTA has learned.

“The autumn session continues its work. The main task for us remains the same. This is consistent implementation of the legislative plans. At the same time, we can not stay away from the problems that the country is living through today. The absolute priority here is to prepare for the forthcoming Belarusian People's Congress. First of all, we need to summarize the proposals the House of Representatives received and submit them to the national organizing committee of the forum,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.

In his words, the extensive dialogue that is currently taking place on various discussion platforms involving MPs should continue. “It is necessary to involve as many Belarusians as possible in this process. This is the way how every citizen today can contribute to decisions that are crucial for the future of Belarus,” the speaker said.

Vladimir Andreichenko stressed that it is necessary to listen to all the participants of the dialogue, regardless of their political stands. “Organizers of unrests actively push people to more radical, thoughtless actions. Their initial goal was to split the authorities. The representatives of many government bodies, including MPs, experienced severe psychological pressure. When this plan failed, they switched to other dirty methods of information warfare. The campaign to discredit the state symbols led to the death of a man. This, however, is not enough for provocateurs either. They are already trying to drag the faithful into a conflict and ignite religious discord,” he said.

The speaker added that attempts to instill the idea that the Belarusian economy with its idea of social justice is ineffective continue. “Although objective information tells us quite different things,” he said.

MINSK, 18 November (BelTA) - Kalvariyskaya clock tower has been restored in the center of Minsk. It is located in the K-21 cultural and business quarter near the Molodezhnaya metro station. During the reconstruction, specialists used the original brick of post-war production.

Photos by Andrei Pokumeiko

MOSCOW, 17 November (BelTA) - The opening of a nuclear power plant in Belarus provides new opportunities for the country to conduct nuclear research for peaceful purposes, State Secretary of the Belarus-Russia Union State Grigory Rapota said at an online press conference held as part of the expert-media forum “Information security of the Union State: modern challenges and new technologies” on 17 November, BelTA has learned.

“The opening of the nuclear power plant gives rise, if desired, to nuclear research both for the economy and social sector of Belarus,” Grigory Rapota said.

During the BelNPP opening various ideas were voiced regarding further cooperation in the nuclear sector both on the part of the Belarusian authorities and Rosatom, said the state secretary. “Their essence was as follows: there is no need to stop. A power generation center has been set up. Interesting R&D works can be run on its basis. The management of the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow also has such an initiative: its head is going to pay a visit [to Belarus] and see what can be done. This may include radiation medicine, any other activity related to the use of radioactive isotopes in agriculture, industry, healthcare and other industries,” he said.

Grigory Rapota added that the discussion on possible construction of a second nuclear power plant in Belarus is underway. “The BelNPP will cover 40% of the current energy consumption in Belarus. Two such power plants are almost 100% of Belarus' energy consumption, which means the country's independence from external energy sources,” he said.

MINSK, 16 November (BelTA) – Belarus will re-purpose as many laboratories to test COVID-19 using the PCR method as possible, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry.

"Due to the significant increase in the number of cases, the Healthcare Ministry has faced the need to mobilize the COVID-19 testing capacities. All laboratories that can carry out these tests will be re-purposed," the press service noted.

As in the first wave of COVID-19, private medical centers and laboratory networks will be engaged. The Healthcare Ministry expresses gratitude to the private laboratories for their support and assistance.

In total, more than 50 laboratories in Belarus have the right to test for coronavirus infection using the PCR method.

MINSK, 13 November (BelTA) – Wearing face masks is crucial to reducing the number of new COVID-19 cases, BelTA learned from Yuri Gorbich, the head of the infectious and children's diseases department of the Belarusian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education.

“Wearing face masks, just like social distancing, is one the necessary, crucial steps to reduce the number of new cases in the country. If a carrier of the coronavirus wears a face mask, the risk of disease transmission is two times less. If two people, a carrier and a non-carrier, wear face masks, the non-carrier's risk of getting infected is near the level of a statistical error,” Yuri Gorbich said.

Wearing face masks on public transport is absolutely necessary, he noted. For example, the risk of disease transmission on a bus is high, because in cold weather all windows are closed, there is almost no air movement, and people stand close to each other, especially during rush hours.

The risk of getting COVID-19 outdoors is very low. “There is little sense in wearing a face mask in a park, where people keep a distance of 1.5 meters anyway. However, being in a crowd is a different story,” Yuri Gorbich added.

Wearing face masks has become mandatory in many regions of Belarus. People must wear face masks at workplaces and in all public places. Face masks are also compulsory on public transport, including fixed-route taxis, metro, and taxis.

MINSK, 12 November (BelTA) - The Country Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Belarus has handed over a new batch of COVID-19 diagnostics and treatment equipment – coronavirus test systems and pulse oximeters – to the country's healthcare system, BelTA learned from the WHO Country Office.

The $257,000 worth of equipment from the world's leading manufacturers was delivered under the project “Supporting WHO's preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic”, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The equipment meets all the WHO requirements.

The National Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health received a batch of 16,450 test systems to diagnose coronavirus infection by PCR, 16,450 disposable kits for sampling, 20 kits for extraction of nucleic acids and 3 magnetic tripods. “The purchased test systems will help the laboratory service of Belarus produce a more efficient response amid the growing COVID-19 incidence,” the office said.

The National Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health received 115 pulse oximeters. Under the project, 11 patient monitoring systems worth $23,000 will be delivered in the near future. The center will distribute the equipment to the country's health facilities where additional support will be most required.

Earlier, USAID and the WHO supported the delivery of 250 oxygen concentrators worth $211,000. The equipment was transferred to the republican reserve.

MINSK, 11 November (BelTA) - The 9th international conference “Pedagogical education amid transformation processes: the space for personal fulfillment” was held online at the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University on 11 November, BelTA learned from the university.

“The conference was attended by over 200 experts from Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Among them were representatives of ministries and heads of higher education institutions, scientists, leading specialists in professional pedagogical education, teachers of general secondary education institutions, representatives of the educational-scientific-innovative cluster of continuous pedagogical education,” the university said.

The forum addressed issues related to the modernization of continuous pedagogical education, creation of conditions for the maximum unlocking of the personality potential of future teachers during their professional training: education for sustainable development, cluster interaction in the industry, teacher's readiness to work in the digital educational space, the implementation of the inclusion principle, the system of additional education, and many more.

The conference was opened by Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Rector of the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor Aleksandr Zhuk. In his welcoming speech, he stressed the importance of the issue related to personal fulfillment of a teacher for his/her sustainable professional development. A welcoming speech to participants and organizers of the conference was also offered by Deputy Education Minister Aleksandr Kadlubai, who emphasized that this conference, which has already become traditional for the university, is a significant event for the country's continuous pedagogical education. Andrei Milekhin, Director of the Training and Professional Development of Teaching Personnel Department of the Russian Ministry of Education, also greeted all the participants and noted the broad international context of the forum.

Plenary speeches were made by scientists and specialists from Belarus, Russia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Estonia. Most of the speakers are representatives of partner universities of the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University. The speeches reflected the most important issues related to pedagogical education, including teachers' preparation for the realization of an educational function, development of ideas of new didactics and formation of didactic competence in students, improvement of quality of distance education and development of media culture in future teachers, organization of image communication and creation of appropriate conditions for personal fulfillment.

A collection of scientific articles will be published after the conference. It will be posted in the scientific electronic library e-library.ru.

The conference was organized by the Center for Pedagogical Education Development at the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University.

MOSCOW, 9 November (BelTA) - High-speed trains Lastochka may be deployed on the Moscow - Minsk route after the coronavirus restrictions on passenger rail service are lifted, Russian Railways said on its website as it unveiled the new schedule, BelTA has learned.

“We have reached an agreement with Belarusian Railways to deploy two pairs of new high-speed five-car electric trains Lastochka on the Moscow - Minsk route," the statement said. “Lastochka will be launched as soon as the international passenger service is resumed between the two countries.”

Russian Railways noted that international passenger traffic will resume once the countries open borders for direct and transit services.

Lastochka is a family of passenger electric trains based on the Siemens Desiro design operated by Russian Railways. There are 443 seats in a five-car train. Lastochka reaches speeds up to 160 km/h.