Before new protests by the democracy movement in Belarus, the head of state Alexander Lukashenko warned during a military visit of a revolution in the country. Foreigners are trying to force a revolution on Belarus, Lukashenko said today after landing on a military training area near Grodno in the west of the country.
Take „toughest measures“
The „toughest measures“ would have to be taken, said the head of state in uniform. He tasked the military with „defending the territorial integrity“ of the country. Lukashenko claimed that there was a danger from the west – from the EU country Poland – and from NATO to absorb the region with the center of Grodno. Polish flags were already flying in the region, he said. „The fatherland is in danger,“ he said the day before.
Critics accuse him of stirring up tensions for no reason and playing the “military card” in order to distract attention from the serious domestic political crisis in the country. Since the controversial presidential election on August 9, there have been protests and strikes across the country against Lukashenko. After 26 years in power, he won the vote for the sixth time in a row with 80 percent of the vote. The opposition, however, claims the election victory for the civil rights activist Svetlana Tichanowskaja.
