December 04, 2023

No Pictures with Lukashenko, Please


No Pictures with Lukashenko, Please
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko speaking at the COP28 in Dubai. Belarus MFA, Twitter.

On November 30, world leaders gathered in Dubai for the United Nations' annual Conference of Parts (COP) to discuss policies to mitigate climate change. However, regional tensions stole the spotlight: the Presidents of Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland refused to appear in the group picture because Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko would also be in it.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said, "This is called a family photo. Lukashenko does not belong to the family we want to belong to."

Nausėda pointed out the hypocrisy of "standing shoulder to shoulder with the head of a state that has become the springboard for Russian aggression in Ukraine" and pretending like nothing had happened. The Latvian and Polish Presidents, Edgars Rinkēvičs and Anzreij Duda, also refused to appear in the group picture alongside Lukashenko. 

Ukraine is not the only point of contention with the Belarussian head of state. Lukashenko's neighbors have long considered him a threat.

In late 2021, Minsk created a crisis at its border with Poland by tricking and trafficking people from the Middle East and Africa into neighboring territory. Polish and Belarussian police used excessive force against the migrants and left them in a "grey zone" in the woods between both countries. At least 200 people are missing, and 49 have died from wounds, hunger, and freezing conditions.

In 2022, after Wagner Group Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led a mutiny in Russia, the mercenary army was stationed in Belarus. Minsk conducted military drills with Wagner near the Polish border, raising red flags in neighboring countries and leading to the mobilization of troops

The COP28 runs through December 12. Russian Presdient Vladimir Putin will not attend the UN's climate summit. Instead, the Russian delegation is headed by the president's special envoy for climate change, Ruslan Edelgeriev.

You Might Also Like

  • October 11, 2023

"Our Men Are Not Slaves; Bring Them Home"

Relatives of mobilized Russians are demanding the return of loved ones who have been at war for an extended period. Russian authorities are censoring their messages.
Beware the Partisans
  • October 05, 2023

Beware the Partisans

Russia has witnessed nearly 310 cases of arson, explosions, and sabotage in the past 19 months.
Stop My Flight If You Can
  • September 21, 2023

Stop My Flight If You Can

Despite sanctions, Russia imported Boeing and Airbus spare parts worth at least R18 billion in 2022.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955