The authoritarian leader marks 30 years in power. Alexander Lukashenko has become a key ally for Vladimir Putin since the start of the war in Ukraine. He’s also spent the last three decades tightening his grip on Belarus, launching a brutal crackdown on his political opponents. How has this veteran of Soviet politics shaped Eastern Europe?

Caitríona Perry speaks to BBC Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg and Belarusian journalist Gennadiy Kot from BBC Monitoring.

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This episode was made by Peter Goffin and Alix Pickles. The technical producers were Hannah Montgomery, Jack Graysmark and Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Richard Fenton-Smith.