In this episode, Alicja Ptak, senior editor at Notes from Poland, speaks with Pavel Latushka, a former Belarusian minister and ambassador to Poland but now a leading opposition figure in exile, who was recently sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison.

They discuss the increasingly close cooperation between Belarus and Russia amid the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the region, including the deal signed last week to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Latushka also outlines Minsk's role in Russia's forced displacement of Ukrainian children.

In this podcast series, we are looking at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to.

The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, New Eastern Europe, Reporting Democracy, Transitions, Ukraine World, and VSquare.