Poland reinforces Belarus border as London sanctions Kara-Murza judges
A look back at two developments on the Eastern European security and rights agenda reported in the days up to 2 August 2023.
What was happening on Europe's eastern edge on 2 August 2023? Two reports from the preceding days set the tone: one about airspace, the other about justice in Russia.
On 1 August 2023, Poland ordered an increase in the number of soldiers near its border with Belarus. The move followed a statement by the Polish Ministry of National Defence that two Belarusian helicopters, which were carrying out training exercises, had violated Polish airspace.
A day earlier, on 31 July 2023, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on judges and officials involved in the prosecution of activist Vladimir Kara-Murza. He had lost the appeal of his 25-year sentence for treason.
Together, the two reports showed governments responding with troop deployments in one case and with sanctions in the other, as pressure around Russia and Belarus continued to build in the summer of 2023.
