Affiliated media: ASTRA, Telegram-channel

Incident date: December 17, 2025

Attack type:

• Selective application of repressive laws

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Minsk

Additional information:

The Oktyabrsky District Court of Minsk has recognised the Telegram channel entitled “ASTRA” (identifier: t.me/astrapress) as extremist information material. It is a Russian online news outlet with more than 277,000 subscribers. On the basis of the court’s decision, the Ministry of Information of Belarus has added the online resource to the Republican List of Extremist Materials. Under Belarusian law, the distribution and storage of materials recognised as extremist entail administrative liability for both publishers and users.