BELARUS POLITICS

Ales Bialiatski, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, recently stepped out of a Belarus prison and into a world he hadn't seen in years. His release was sudden, almost surreal. One moment he was in a car, blindfolded. The next, he was standing at the border of Lithuania, free. This wasn't just any release.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is in a tough spot. He's balancing his country's safety with Russia's influence. Belarus is right next to Russia, with Ukraine and three NATO countries nearby. Lukashenko let Russian forces use Belarus to attack Ukraine but kept his own troops out. He's worr