Belarus: Tsikhanouskaya accepts Sakharov Prize in Brussels

Estonia's recently-elected president is urging caution over the situation at Belarus's borders with the European Union. Thousands of migrants hoping to enter the EU and claim asylum there, mainly from the Middle East, are camped at the borders. Asked by FRANCE 24 how dangerous he judges the tensions to be, Alar Karis said: "I think it's a threat. It's a border of the EU and of a NATO state. We should be very careful and cautious about what's going on Of course the sad thing is that there are innocent people in between that they are using as a shield."

As temperatures across Europe plummet, thousands of migrants are still stuck in Belarus, hoping to find a route into the European Union — although Brussels insists the bloc will not accept them. DW's Nick Connolly met some of them in Minsk.

The Belarusian strongman has encouraged migrants to continue their journey into the European Union. "We will not try to catch you, beat you, and hold you behind barbed wire," he said.

Citizens of Afghanistan were by far the biggest group of people applying for asylum in the EU, Switzerland and Norway in September 2021.

Brussels says the Belarusian government created the crisis by luring migrants with false promises. But some say Poland and the EU are ignoring human suffering.

UN representatives traveling to the region described the situation as "appalling," calling on both countries to live up to their human rights obligations.

The United Nations has urged Belarus and Poland to address the "appalling situation" at their common border. Migrants were being pushed back and forth across the border and left with little food, clean water or shelter, the UN human rights office said.

Doctors Without Borders removed its team on the Belarus-Poland border after Warsaw blocked access to migrants trying to enter the European Union. Camped in harsh conditions, several people have died on the EU's doorstep.

Poland plans to build a wall on its border with Belarus to prevent undocumented migrants from crossing into its territory illegally. But environmental campaigners warn a wall could have a dire impact on local wildlife. DW’s Jack Parrock reports.

Russian and Belarusian troops will continue their joint exercises near Ukraine, which were expected to end on Sunday, due to the "escalating situation" in Donbas.

Belarusian opposition leader in exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has expressed solidarity with Ukraine, telling DW that most people in her home country "don't support this war."

A new constitutional amendment will allow Russian troops and nuclear weapons to station permanently in Belarus. The amendment also gives leader Alexander Lukashenko immunity from prosecution.