Live Updates: Protests Resume in Minsk

KIEV (Sputnik) - Kiev has paused all processes and contacts with Minsk, will resume them once it is sure that it will not cause any reputational losses to the country, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday.

“We have all processes, all contacts with the Belarusian side paused now. I can officially inform you about this. And we are monitoring the development of the situation. And only when we are convinced that these contacts will not carry reputational, moral, ethical losses for Ukraine, these contacts will be resumed," Kuleba told the 1+1 broadcaster.

MINSK (Sputnik) - RIA Novosti correspondent Kirill Rubtsov and photojournalist Yevgeny Odinokov were released from the Oktyabrskiy district police department in Minsk after being taken there along with other journalists for identification, the correspondent said.

The journalists were detained at Freedom Square in Minsk, where a protest action by opposition supporters was to begin. At the police station, the media were treated correctly and offered tea and coffee. Nevertheless, the police took their passports and press cards, as well as mobile phones and other devices from them.

The Minsk police began to release journalists, the RIA Novosti correspondent said.

Local accredited photographers — Viktor Drachev with Kommersant newspaper accreditation, as well as photographers from news agencies Belta and Sputnik Belarus — were released first. The fate of non-accredited journalists is not yet clear.

The Russian consul has arrived to the Russian journalists, which were taken to the Oktyabrskoe police department, and where their accreditation was being checked, the RIA Novosti correspondent said.

"BPS-Sberbank informs about the temporary suspension of receiving loan applications (or applications for increasing the credit limit) from individuals from August 28, 2020. Taking into account increased demand and outstripping pace of provision of funds relative to the business plan, the bank decided to temporarily suspend the issuance of loans to individuals", the statement says.

It noted that loan applications accepted by the bank no later than August 27 would be considered in accordance with the established procedure, and previously concluded loan agreements were serviced as usual.

Минск. Площадка перед универмагом «Беларусь». Так проходит провластный митинг.

Фото: Ольга Шукайло, https://t.co/SAPdczGoiG pic.twitter.com/xFfPN0kY8t

— TUT.BY (@tutby) August 27, 2020