Discussing Belarus during “interesting” times: from Ukraine to China and beyond
When: 26 February 2026 18:00-19:30 CET
Where: Dialogbüro Office, Eßlinggasse 9/6, 1010 Vienna, Austria (only offline)
Language: English
Admission: free

The 2020 mass pro-democracy protests in Belarus and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine have fundamentally altered Belarus's geopolitical status. This shift rapidly accelerated its integration into Russia’s orbit and involved it in war affairs, while simultaneously drawing increased attention from global powers like China and intensifying its isolation from Europe and the West. This discussion will move beyond the internal political crisis to analyze how these external pressures — war, dependency, and new global alignments — are shaping the nation's future and defining the strategies of the domestic and international actors.

This discussion will explore the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Belarus, analyzing both internal and foreign policy implications while highlighting the geopolitical and regional context. In addition, the panel will address Belarus-Ukraine relations in times of war, the dynamics of EU-Belarus relations, the growing influence of China and other global actors, and assess the current prospects for ‘regime change’.

The discussion will be held alongside the presentation of the recently published Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Belarus. The book provides a thorough overview of the country's history, politics, and international relations, raising several key questions. These include whether the regime should be re-classified as (neo)totalitarian; what opportunities exist for civil society under current circumstances; the impact of sanctions and instrumentalization of issues like migration; the role of regional security dynamics and war in regime survival; and possible future scenarios for 2026. The authors will draw on their chapters' findings to shed light on these points.

WELCOMING REMARKS: Dr. Hannes Swoboda, President of the International Institute for Peace (IP)

MODERATOR: Malwina Talik, Research Associate and Head of Digital Communication, Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe

SPEAKERS:

  • Dr. Aliaksei Kazharski, associate professor at Charles University in Prague; Editor of the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Belarus
  • Dr. Sofie Bedford, Associate Professor in Political Science and researcher at IRES Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University and associate researcher, Research Center for the History of Transformation (RECET), University of Vienna.
  • Dr. Yevhen Mahda, Ukrainian political analyst and the Executive Director of the Institute of World Policy; professor at the State University "Kyiv Aviation Institute"
  • Dr. Maria Lindin, Uppsala University


Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Your name *
Your e-mail
 *
Your organization, institution or project
Would you like to receive Dialogbüro's newsletter about upcoming events?
 *
Required
How did you find out about the event? *
Required
Photo and video content will be created during this event for further online publications on the website and in social media channels of the Dialogbüro Vienna *
Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy

Does this form look suspicious? Report

Google Forms