Tightly controlled parliamentary and local elections in Belarus, condemned internationally and dismissed by the opposition, ended on Feb. 25, bolstering dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s decades-long rule. Amidst criticism of the “sham” vote, Lukashenko has declared he will run in the 2025 presidential elections. Western democracies impose new sanctions on Belarus on the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but have yet to harmonize restrictions with those imposed on Russia, or close loopholes exploited by the two regimes. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Lithuania says …