"I am on my knees before you": Lukashenko spoke to his supporters in Minsk

Rally in support of Lukashenka in Minsk

On Sunday, August 16, a rally of solidarity was held in Minsk in support of Alexander Lukashenko. According to the RIA Novosti correspondent, by 12:00 tourist buses with the participants of the rally began to arrive at the Independence Square. It is also reported that the drivers of passing cars slowed down and shouted words of condemnation towards the protesters.

As noted in the public organization "Belaya Rus", which initiated the event, the rally participants oppose the division of the country into two opposing camps.

Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, head of the presidential administration Igor Sergeenko and chairman of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova also arrived at the Government House. At about 14:00, Lukashenka came out to the audience and thanked his supporters, at the same time noting that he did not want to invite them to the square.

"I am not a supporter of rallies, but, alas, it is not my fault that I had to call you for help," the president said, adding that he called his supporters to defend not him, but "their country."

During his speech, Lukashenka said that if the Belarusians want reforms, the authorities will start them tomorrow. He also urged citizens not to quit their jobs. In addition, he ruled out the possibility of a repeat presidential election in the country, saying that then Belarus "will perish as a state."

“Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and, unfortunately, our native Ukraine and its leadership are ordering us to hold new elections. If only we follow their lead, we will go into a tailspin and will never stabilize our airship, ”Lukashenka said.

In addition, the Belarusian leader said that NATO troops "clang their tracks" at the western borders of the country.

“We have built with you, with all the difficulties, with all the shortcomings, a beautiful country. Who did you decide to give it to? If someone wants to give up the country, even when I am dead, I will not allow you to, ”Lukashenka said during his speech.

“We are being offered NATO soldiers - black, yellow-haired and fair-haired. They want to dress us in sandals and whip us around. Can't you see it? If someone wants it - without me. I will never go to demolish our state, ”the leader of the country said.

Addressing the citizens of the republic, Lukashenka said that if they “ruin the first president of the country”, it will be “the beginning of your end”.

“We must not become a latrine for Europe,” the president stressed.

Concluding his speech, Lukashenka thanked the audience and said that they deserve that he kneel before them.

"I am kneeling before you for the first time in my life!" - the president finished his speech.

After the president's speech, the protesters began to disperse. According to Alexander Lukashenko, about 50 thousand people took part in the rally.

It is worth noting that on August 16, demonstrators also took to the streets, dissatisfied with the victory of Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential elections held in the republic.

Let us remind you that the protests in the country began on the evening of August 9 after the announcement of the preliminary results of the presidential elections that took place that day, according to which the current leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, won. The rallies escalated into riots and clashes with the police. For a week now, citizens, dissatisfied with the organization and the results of the elections, have continued to take to the streets.

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British journalist Neil Clark, in an interview with RT, noted the similarity between the situation in Belarus and the events that took place in Ukraine.

“A similar scenario was observed in Ukraine in 2014. Only there it was not about elections, but about changing the government's policy towards the EU. Maidan. And again, the same rhetoric was heard then from the Western capitals. The government is being told it should not react to any anti-government protests - even if riots break out. This is exactly what we see now, ”- said Clark.

“This is a film that we have watched many, many times, and its ending is not that good - we saw it both on the example of the people of Yugoslavia and on the example of the people of Ukraine. And I think that for the people of Belarus, if the opposition succeeds, everything will end in a bad way too, ”he added.

Western countries are interested in regime change in Belarus, Clark said. He recalled that the state owns many objects of the economy, in connection with which the West may be trying to "take over the country's industry".

“And, of course, let's not forget that Belarus is Russia's neighbor, and pro-NATO think tanks, NATO hawks, NATO propagandists, of course, would very much like to include Belarus in NATO - in order to encircle Russia even more. So the interest of the Western elites here is simply colossal. It's not about democracy and not about human rights - it's about power, economy and geopolitics, "the journalist said in a conversation with RT.

He stressed that there is massive propaganda in favor of regime change in Belarus, and advised to be skeptical about the reports on the scale of the demonstrations and to think about whether they reflect the opinion of the majority of citizens of the republic.

Help with an external threat

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko held a telephone conversation, during which they continued to discuss the situation in Belarus after the presidential elections, "including taking into account the pressure exerted on the republic from outside." This was reported by the Kremlin press service.

“The Russian side has confirmed its readiness to provide the necessary assistance in resolving the problems that have arisen on the basis of the principles of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State, as well as, if necessary, through the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” the message says.

The day before, the leaders also had a conversation, during which, according to the Kremlin, the parties expressed confidence in the soonest settlement of the problems that had arisen and reaffirmed their intention to strengthen allied relations.

Lukashenka himself then said that Russia, at the first request, will help the republic in ensuring security in the event of external military threats. He clarified that he had agreed on this with Vladimir Putin.

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The situation with the detention of 32 Russian citizens

Meanwhile, the Russians, who were detained near Minsk at the end of July and have already returned to their homeland, told on the air of the TV channel "Russia 24" about the circumstances of their detention.

As one of the released Russian citizens said, the group was heading to Caracas, where they were offered to work on guarding oil facilities. A day before departure from Istanbul, where the Russians were supposed to have a transfer, they were told that there were difficulties with tickets, and were offered to wait for the new date of departure at the Belorusochka sanatorium. He stressed that the members of the group behaved adequately there: they walked, swam in the lake, went for a run.

“Everyone was asleep. Suddenly there was a crash - the doors flew out, everyone was face down on the floor, weapons were pointed, sheets on their heads, ”the channel's interlocutor said, stressing that people“ did not understand what was happening ”. According to the detainees, they were taken to regional departments and only then to pre-trial detention centers.

“The first three days they treated us harshly: they believed that we were militants, were preparing an escape, we could rebel and destroy the guards. Three days later, they told me that I was suspected of preparing for mass protests and armed resistance to the law enforcement agencies of Belarus, ”said one of the Russians.

According to the members of the group, they did not know that elections would be held in Belarus, since for them "it was a transit country, friendly to Russia, and no one expected any surprises from the special services."

On August 15, the Belarusian authorities handed over 32 citizens of the Russian Federation to the Russian side, the arrest of which on the territory of the republic became known on July 29. The Russian Ambassador to Minsk Dmitry Mezentsev emphasized that the parties strictly observed the norms of the law when carrying out the procedure. The same statement was made by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office.

As the Belarusian news agency BelTA asserted immediately after the arrest of these citizens, they were allegedly fighters of Wagner's foreign private military company. In another material of the agency it was said that the Belarusian side allegedly received information about the arrival in the country of "more than 200 militants to destabilize the situation during the election campaign." 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the situation with the detention of Russians turned out to be a provocation from a third state. Later, the publication Komsomolskaya Pravda, citing a source in the Russian special services, reported that the Ukrainian special services were behind the provocation.