Journalists detained in Minsk

Among the group held by the security forces are, in addition to the DN photographer, journalists from, among others, the news agencies AP and Reuters.

A witness told Reuters that the journalists, who were supposed to cover today's protests, had their phones and identity documents confiscated.

According to DN, Paul Hansen was stopped at around 6pm near Independence Square in Minsk, and later taken to a police station. The newspaper reports that the journalists are treated well and that Paul Hansen is well under the circumstances. 

DN's editor-in-chief Peter Wolodarski writes in a comment that they have just received the information and are now in contact with relevant authorities. He also writes: "Journalism is not a crime".

On Thursday also came the news that Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko has asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to form a reserve police force that can be used in the country if needed. However, the force should not be deployed unless the situation requires it, according to Putin.

- I see no reason to skyrocket. There are relevant clauses that state that all Member States of the (Russian-Belarusian) Union state and other organizations must support each other in terms of protecting sovereignty, external borders and stability, Putin said in an interview with the television channel Rossiya-1.

- We have commitments to Belarus, the Russian leader continues, saying that he has informed Lukashenko that Russia will fulfill them.

The transitional council formed by the Belarusian opposition responds by calling Russia's actions "unacceptable" and a violation of international law, according to Reuters.

The news agency AFP reports that NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also urges Russia not to get involved in the crisis in Belarus.

Major popular protests have erupted in the Belarusian dictatorship since the presidential election on August 9, when Lukashenko declared himself the winner with 80 percent voter support. However, the result is generally regarded as a result of electoral fraud, and the EU and the United Kingdom, among others, have announced that they do not accept it.