Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko appeared today in a video with a gun and bulletproof vest as he descended from a helicopter to his home at a time when thousands are protesting in the capital, Minsk
The unusual moment occurred at a time when there were protests by thousands of people demanding the departure of President Alexander Lukashenko, who was re-elected on August 9, but who has been facing strong opposition for weeks.
When Lukashenko landed at the Independence Palace in Minsk, the protesters were gathered in a nearby square.
The video was broadcast on the Telegram messaging app and on a channel that the media identified as being close to Lukashenko’s press service.
Protesters say the official results of the August 9 presidential election, which gave Lukashenko the sixth term, with 80% of the votes against 10% of opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaia, are fraudulent.
According to the Associated Press (AP), more than 100,000 protesters gathered today in a vast square in Minsk and then marched through the city.
The France Presse agency (AFP) describes that, wearing white and red flags, the colors of the protest, the protesters gathered in Independence Square and in the surrounding streets, chanting slogans like “freedom!”.
Opposition media, which have also reported on similar demonstrations in other cities in Belarus, speak of “more than 100,000 demonstrators in the Belarusian capital” in a protest that takes place for the second consecutive Sunday.
