Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko is now facing the biggest challenge to his strong-arm leadership in decades, and is prepared to use brutal force to keep his grip on power.
With elections looming on 9 August, the so-called 'last dictator of Europe' is for the first time facing challenges from an opposition rooted in a wider public backlash over his bungled handling of Covid-19.
In the absence of any support or government help, others throughout the country mobilised to tackl...
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Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.