Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
August 9 marks the third anniversary of Belarus presidential elections, which were marred by allegations of fraud and manipulation. The election was followed by mass protest and subsequent violence sanctioned by Lukashenko. Since then, thousands have been arrested and subjected to inhumane treatment in Belarusian prisons. This was the biggest crisis in Belarusian recent history, and the largest wave of repression the country has seen in decades.
Lukashenko’s domestic repressions made him a pariah on the international stage. Isolated, he increasingly turned to Russia’s Putin, who provided him with weapons, money, and diplomatic support to help him stay in power. In 2022, Lukashenko paid back by allowing the Kremlin to launch the invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory.
In this panel, we discussing Lukashenko’s role in the conflict in Ukraine, and talk about the steps and strategies the international democratic community can pursue in order to contain the threat posed by Lukashenko. For this panel, we will have the following guests:
Hanna Liubakova: a Belarusian journalist and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. Hanna covers human rights abuses and political violence in Belarus, and the developments in the war in Ukraine.
Pavel Latushka: a Belarusian opposition figure who fled the country in 2020 and now focuses on holding the Lukashenko regime accountable for human rights abuses. Prior to that, Larushka served as Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus (2009-2012). This year, Lukashenko’s regime sentenced him, in absentia, to 18 years in prison.
David Kramer: David Kramer is the Executive Director for Global Policy at the George W. Bush Institute. Formerly, Kramer served as the Deputy Assistant Sec. of State for European & Eurasian Affairs (2005-2008) and Assistant Sec. of State for Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor (2008-2009). He also chairs the board of the Free Russia Foundation.
Panel Breakdown:
00:00 — Starting soon
05:40 — Introduction
09:53 — Pavel Latushka on the current state of sanctions on Belarus
17:17 — Hanna Liubakova on domestic repression in Belarus
23:05 — David Kramer on U.S. strategy towards Belarus
28:07 — Hanna Liubakova on support for war in Ukraine in Belarus
34:54 — Pavel Latushka on Lukashenko’s complicity in kidnapping of Ukrainian children
40:18 — David Kramer on making U.S. sanctions on Belarus more effective
44:29 — Pavel Latushka on the role of Lukashenko in negotiations between the Kremlin and Wagner
50:57 — Hanna Liubakova on provocations on the border with Poland
56:30 — David Kramer on how stationing of nuclear weapons in Belarus changes the calculus for Washington
1:00:01 — Hanna Liubakova on how to target the regime without hurting Belarusians escaping the violence
August 9 marks the third anniversary of Belarus presidential elections, which were marred by allegations of fraud and manipulation. The election was followed by mass protest and subsequent violence sanctioned by Lukashenko. Since then, thousands have been arrested and subjected to inhumane treatment in Belarusian prisons. This was the biggest crisis in Belarusian recent history, and the largest wave of repression the country has seen in decades.
Lukashenko’s domestic repressions made him a pariah on the international stage. Isolated, he increasingly turned to Russia’s Putin, who provided him with weapons, money, and diplomatic support to help him stay in power. In 2022, Lukashenko paid back by allowing the Kremlin to launch the invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory.
In this panel, we discussing Lukashenko’s role in the conflict in Ukraine, and talk about the steps and strategies the international democratic community can pursue in order to contain the threat posed by Lukashenko. For this panel, we will have the following guests:
Hanna Liubakova: a Belarusian journalist and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. Hanna covers human rights abuses and political violence in Belarus, and the developments in the war in Ukraine.
Pavel Latushka: a Belarusian opposition figure who fled the country in 2020 and now focuses on holding the Lukashenko regime accountable for human rights abuses. Prior to that, Larushka served as Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus (2009-2012). This year, Lukashenko’s regime sentenced him, in absentia, to 18 years in prison.
David Kramer: David Kramer is the Executive Director for Global Policy at the George W. Bush Institute. Formerly, Kramer served as the Deputy Assistant Sec. of State for European & Eurasian Affairs (2005-2008) and Assistant Sec. of State for Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor (2008-2009). He also chairs the board of the Free Russia Foundation.
Panel Breakdown:
00:00 — Starting soon
05:40 — Introduction
09:53 — Pavel Latushka on the current state of sanctions on Belarus
17:17 — Hanna Liubakova on domestic repression in Belarus
23:05 — David Kramer on U.S. strategy towards Belarus
28:07 — Hanna Liubakova on support for war in Ukraine in Belarus
34:54 — Pavel Latushka on Lukashenko’s complicity in kidnapping of Ukrainian children
40:18 — David Kramer on making U.S. sanctions on Belarus more effective
44:29 — Pavel Latushka on the role of Lukashenko in negotiations between the Kremlin and Wagner
50:57 — Hanna Liubakova on provocations on the border with Poland
56:30 — David Kramer on how stationing of nuclear weapons in Belarus changes the calculus for Washington
1:00:01 — Hanna Liubakova on how to target the regime without hurting Belarusians escaping the violence
