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Dnipro strike and Belarus arrests before 26 November 2024
Summary
A look back at two developments in the days before 26 November 2024: a Russian missile strike on Dnipro and mass arrests of protesters in Belarus.
What had the region been absorbing by 26 November 2024? Two reports from the preceding days set the tone: a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro and a large crackdown on anti-war protesters in Belarus.
On 21 November 2024, Russia struck Dnipro with a projectile that Russian President Vladimir Putin said was a new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile. His statement confirmed earlier reports from the United States and other western officials, who had said Russia used an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Initial reports had misidentified the weapon as an RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile.
The strike was part of Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
A day earlier, on 20 November 2024, around 1,671 anti-war protesters in Belarus were arrested for showing solidarity with Ukraine. The arrests were part of a crackdown on opposition under President Alexander Lukashenko.
Together, the two reports showed the war reaching beyond the front line: in the weaponry used against Ukrainian cities, and in the pressure on those in neighbouring Belarus who voiced support for Ukraine.
