The Latest Breaking News from Belarus

Ukraine penetrates first line of Russia defence in some areas amid ‘significant operations’

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Moscow will deploy some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus next month, a move that the Belarusian opposition described as an attempt to blackmail the West

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina accused Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka of adding fuel to the fire by standing at the net waiting for a handshake she knew would never happen at the end of their French Open quarter-final on Tuesday.

Aryna Sabalenka has spoken at a postmatch news conference after beating Ukraine's Elina Svitolina to reach the French Open semifinals for the first time

Spectators on the centre court booed the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina on Tuesday after she failed to shake hands with her Belarusian opponent Aryna Sabalenka who had just beaten her in straight sets to advance to the semi-final at the French Open.

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the world tennis number two, said on Tuesday she did not want her country to be in any conflict and did not support the war in Ukraine.

Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka also square off in a Ukraine vs Belarus quarter-final with huge political overtones

Elina Svitolina’s fairy-tale run at Roland Garros, her first Grand Slam tournament since becoming a mother, has inspired and enthralled a French Open crowd stripped of home players. With war still raging in her home country, she hopes her feats on the Paris clay can bring a little joy to…

From the war raging in Ukraine to the unrest in Kosovo, geopolitical crises have cast a pall over the Grand Slam tournament in Paris, challenging conventions and shattering the notion that sport and politics can be kept apart.