It is now almost three weeks since the heavily criticized presidential election in Belarus. Since then, massive protests have shaken the country, met by heavily equipped police and military.

The protesters, who are demanding a new election, have testified about torture and beatings by security forces.

The crisis development has prompted an increasingly pressured Alexander Lukashenko to take action. Earlier this week, the president, armed with an automatic weapon, called on the military to be "fully operational".

Putin asked for help

On Thursday, Russia's Vladimir Putin announced that he had been asked to set up a police reserve force by Lukashenko. This is to send help if the situation in Belarus should escalate, Reuters reports with reference to Russian Interfax.

However, Putin, who has promised not to use force unless absolutely necessary, says there is no reason to enter Belarus at this time. On the contrary, the President believes that the situation seems to have calmed down a bit.

- There is no such need right now, and I hope it will not arise, says Vladimir Putin, according to AP.

Deteriorated security situation

In addition to sending additional military forces to the country's borders, Alexander Lukashenko has also accused his western neighbors of waging a low-intensity war against Belarus. One of them is the NATO country Poland, which denies the claim, but also says that they are following developments closely.

Increased military activity in the Baltic Sea, consisting of NATO forces and a Russian exercise, has also caused Sweden to react by sending extra troops to Gotland. This as a signal to the outside world.

However, the risk of a conflict is still low, according to the Armed Forces.