Affiliated media: Plan B , Media project

Incident date: November 5, 2025

Attack type:

• Selective application of repressive laws

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Minsk

Additional information:

Belarus’s KGB has designated the Plan B initiative as an “extremist formation”. Plan B is a Belarusian independent publication that covers politics, the economy and issues of concern to Belarusians both inside the country and abroad. The journalists Olga Loiko, Andrey Makhovsky and Dmitry Smirnov are named as individuals allegedly carrying out the activities of the formation. The authorities have also listed the internet resources through which the alleged “extremist activity” is said to be conducted: the Plan B website and its pages on the social networks Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram. Under Belarusian law, any interaction with resources designated as extremist formations may result in criminal prosecution and imprisonment of up to 10 years for participation in, or assistance to, an extremist formation (Articles 361-1 and 361-4 of the Criminal Code).