The U.S. administration added 71 companies to a trade blacklist for supporting Russia on May 19, as the Group of Seven wealthy nations announced new sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
A court in Minsk has started the trial of noted Belarusian educator Yauhen Livyant, along with members of his family and associates who are all accused of charges related to mass rallies over a disputed August 2020 presidential election that kept authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka in power.
The Greenpeace environmental group said it is shutting down its Russia operation after the Kremlin declared it an "undesirable" organization amid the government's ongoing crackdown on civil society and independent organizations.