Alexander Lukashenko

The two nations have held similar joint military drills as recently as September, which involved some 200,000 troops and hundreds of military vehicles.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been accused of jailing his detractors and rigging presidential elections.

"Political repression is not just a tool for authoritarian regimes; it is more than that. It is a carefully planned strategy for achieving regime stability," wrote Alfredo Romero of the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Siarhei Tsikhanouski, the husband of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, previously ran against current President Alexander Lukashenko in 2020's elections.

A humanitarian group believes the girl was separated from her parents and went missing on the Polish side of the border.

"I would offer Putin to return nuclear weapons to Belarus," said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko amid increasing tensions between Russia and NATO.

Other migrants were also found freezing in a nearby farmhouse, according to the Belarusian President.

The Nasha Niva had celebrated its 115th anniversary before the Belarusian Ministry of Information banned the newspaper on Tuesday.

"These signals do not prove a change or a backing away from the strategic plans of the Lukashenko regime," the spokesman for Poland's security services said.

Poland's Border Guard spokeswoman Anna Michalska said there were over 300 attempts made by migrants to cross the border Sunday. All were stopped or sent back.

"As if the collective West had no role to play in this, and everything was done by other people who are not connected with 'their' countries," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

The campaign, known as Ghostwriter, attempts to instill conflict in the intergovernmental military group, obtain confidential information and spy on dissidents.

EU officials announced it would put sanctions on airlines, travel agents and others accused of helping bring migrants to Belarus' borders with its countries.

"I don't think I have committed some kind of a crime," says Evan Neumann, who is charged with assaulting a police officer and obstruction of justice.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has encouraged migrants to illegally enter bordering European Union nations.

Officials said the Belarus government is "using them [migrants] to escalate the border crisis and provoke Poland."

The move comes as Belarusian authorities face criticism for what's been called an excessive crackdown on protests over the country's 2020 presidential election.

"If you see that a patient is getting better and no longer needs intravenous injections and other things, just send him home," Lukashenko said.

President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory for a sixth presidential term, but the election was marred by claims of widespread voter fraud.

Poland and Lithuania have been seeing high numbers of migrants, many from Iraq and Afghanistan, seeking to cross their borders through Belarus.

The president said the proposed changes "are aimed at making the Constitution more harmonized and balanced by redistributing the powers of the president, the parliament and the government."

Belarus and Russia are planning to hold joint war games that start next week, and are set to involve about 200,000 troops.

Poland last week said it had deployed over 900 soldiers to the border with Belarus and was reinforcing the border with 93 miles of barbed wire.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order targeting President Alexander Lukashenko over an ongoing "assault against the democratic aspirations and human rights of the Belarusian people."

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said the sanctions are key to transitioning from President Alexander Lukashenko's administration to one supported by pro-democracy proponents.

"Don't hesitate in putting sanctions on the cronies of the regime, on the wallet of the regime, to stop this violence as soon as possible," Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said.

Lukashenko has led the authoritarian government of Belarus since 1994 and has been accused of antisemitism on multiple occasions in the past.

The country's refusal to cooperate on halting illegal migration is retaliation for the EU placing economic sanctions on Belarus.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko warned the European Union on Tuesday night that Belarus would no longer protect neighboring states Lithuania, Latvia and Poland from immigrants illegally passing through the borders.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she believes President Alexander Lukashenko's decision to divert the Ryanair flight was "a mistake" that turned the West against him.