Ukrainian blogger added to the Belarusian list of "extremist groups"

The Ukrainian blogger known as BalaganOff (real name – Oleksandr Rykov) has been added to the list of "extremist groups" by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. The reason for this charge are his channels on Telegram, YouTube and TikTok.

The blogger talks a lot about this country in his videos, writes the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

In his podcasts, Rykov pays a lot of attention to Belarus, starting episodes with the mottos "Slava Ukraini!" and "Zhyve Belarus!" One of his latest YouTube videos is dedicated to NRM musician Pete Pavlov, who visited the Kastus Kalinouski regiment with a concert, and one of the most popular ones is an "intercepted conversation" between "Western agents Nick and Mike" which Lukashenko spoke about two years ago.

As reported by IMI, Belarus arrested RFE/RL journalist Ihor Karney, aged 55. A case has been opened, but it is not yet clear what charges are being brought against him. However, RFE/RL is deemed an extremist media outlet in Belarus, and working with it or distributing its content can get you in prison for up to seven years.