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Hundreds of thousands demonstrated in Belarus against the dictator; Russia: Willing to help militarily

In a huge demonstration against Lukashenko, crowds filled the streets of the capital Minsk and other cities and demanded his departure: "We will not be forgotten or forgiven." For the first time after a week of protests, Lukashenko went to his own, smaller support rally and said NATO was stepping up forces at the border. Putin pledged to help if needed

• Belarus
• Alexander Lukashenko
• Russia

Reuters

Hundreds of thousands demonstrated today (Sunday) in Belarus against President Alexander Lukashenko. It was the biggest protest against the dictator since the controversial election a week ago, which the opposition and Western countries claim was falsified in his favor. At the same time, Russia has said it is ready to help militarily if needed.

According to a Reuters correspondent in the Minsk capital, about 200,000 people called for Lukashenko to resign, on the eighth day of demonstrations against him. At least two protesters have been killed and thousands arrested since last Sunday's vote. "We will not be forgotten or forgiven," shouted the protesters, waving the opposition flag in red and white during the demonstrations which were in a festive atmosphere.

Opponents of the Belarussian president, who has been in power for 26 years, said the vote was rigged to hide the fact that he had lost public support for the former Soviet republic. He denies losing, and official results show he received more than 80% of the vote. He spoke today at a rally in support of the capital, Minsk, but it was much smaller than the largest opposition demonstrations since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In response to the challenge facing Lukashenko, some of the country's largest government enterprises, the backbone of Belarus' quasi-Soviet economy, they protested and went on strike. "We all want Lukashenko to resign," said Alexei, a 31-year-old laborer who warned that protesters might not remain peaceful if they did not get what they wanted. "Right now we are still asking, but in the end we will get tired of asking."

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Demonstrations in Minsk and other cities in the country took place after Lukashenko's rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, called for an "emergency march." She fled to Lithuania after last week's elections and is calling for a recount. Upon her escape, videos were released in which she allegedly admitted loss and called on the opposition to recognize Lukashenko's victory, but they were apparently forcibly removed from it. It is working to establish a national council for the transfer of power.

Maria Kolesnikova, a senior opposition figure and Tihanovskaya ally, calls Lukashenko "the former president" and said he should resign. She urged officials to abandon him.

"This is your last chance to overcome the fear," she said. "We were all scared too. Join us and we will support you."

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At the same time, the Kremlin said today that President Vladimir Putin told Lukashenko that Moscow was ready to help Belarus in accordance with their military alliance if necessary. They also said in Moscow that "external pressure" was being exerted on its neighbor to the west, but did not specify where. Lukashenko turned to Putin in light of his biggest challenge to his rule, and the two spoke twice over the weekend. Ties between the two traditional allies have been strained until recently, as Russia has reduced the subsidies on which the Lukashenko administration was based. Russia sees Belarus as a strategic buffer zone against NATO and the European Union.

Shortly before the start of the demonstration, security in Minsk was tight with a rally of Lukashenko supporters for the first time since the election. He delivered a strong speech, saying that tanks and planes of NATO deployed a 15-minute walk from the border. Alliance said they were closely following the situation in Belarus, but denied that military deployment on its western border of Belarus.

Lukashenko, who claims that a foreign conspiracy to oust him, "Belarus, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine, our natives, are instructing us to hold new elections," he said, adding that Belarus would "die as a country" if such elections did take place. "I have never cheated on you and I will never do that." The Russian news agency RIA has reported that the Belarusian army will hold military maneuvers in the west of the country from tomorrow until Thursday.

According to Reuters, only about 5,000 people attended the rally in support of Lukashenko, while the Interior Ministry estimated them at 65,000. Opposition groups said they were taken by bus and forced to attend. "The homeland is in danger," one of the speakers told the audience, to which he replied, "We are united, impenetrable."

Some supporters of Lukashenko, a former kolkhoz director known as Europe's last dictator, waved national flags and chanted "For Belarus," while patriotic songs were played through loudspeakers.

"I am in favor of Lukashenko," said Ella Georgibna, 68. "I do not understand why everyone has now risen up against him. We are getting our pensions and salaries on time thanks to him."

Neighboring Russia and Belarus signed an agreement in 1999 that was supposed to lead to a united state, but it was never actually implemented and until before the election Lukashenko rejected Moscow's calls for closer economic and political ties and described it as an attack on his country's sovereignty.

Russia has feared upheavals within its borders since the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2003-04 and the Maidan demonstrations in Kiev in 2014. She claimed that the West had backed the protesters in these cases. Meanwhile, the EU is formulating new sanctions on Belarus in response to the violent repression of the demonstrations.

During a visit to neighboring Poland, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said over the weekend that Washington was discussing the situation with the EU, with leaders of the Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - calling on Belarus to hold "free and fair" demonstrations. Lukashenko said he did not need any intervention from foreign governments or intermediaries.