Well-known Belarusian singer Meryem Herasimenka, aka Meryem Hera, has gone on trial in Minsk for singing a song by the popular Ukrainian group Okean Elzy in Ukrainian in a Minsk bar in August.
Kazakh lawmaker Azamat Abdildaev has been expelled from the Aq Zhol (Bright Path) party, which positions itself as the opposition, after expressing support for Russia's aggression against Ukraine in an interview with RFE/RL.
Ukrainian forces continue to fight pitched battles against a Russian offensive in the east, where President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the situation remained "tough," as he again pleaded with Ukraine's Western allies to speed up a decision to supply Kyiv with modern heavy weapons such as tanks.