Belarus: Security forces raid offices of international firms in Minsk August 13 /update 15

Event

Security forces raided the offices of two international firms in Minsk on Thursday, August 13. According to reports, armed security forces entered and barred the entrance to the Uber and Yandex offices in Minsk. Yandex, a Russian internet provider, stated that its employees were barred from leaving their office building on Thursday morning. Additionally, Wargaming, a video games company, has evacuated their office in Minsk following rumours of an imminent raid on Thursday.

The raids come following four consecutive nights of protests in Minsk and several Belarusian cities contesting the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Advice

Those in Belarus are advised to monitor the situation, adhere to instructions issued by local authorities and their home governments, and refrain from discussing politically sensitive topics in public or on social media.