Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko militarized his response to protests on the evening of Aug. 23. Lukashenko made a staged propaganda trip to the Presidential Palace in Minsk on the evening of Aug. 23. He and his 15-year-old son arrived via helicopter in military gear carrying rifles. Lukashenko briefly toured the barricades around the Presidential Palace and spoke with security personnel, who shouted “we’re with you until the end!” Lukashenko’s press office released a video as he departed Minsk via helicopter in which Lukashenko can be heard commenting “look at how the rats (referring to protesters) scatter.” Belarusian authorities cut internet access in Minsk for the duration of Lukashenko’s visit. Lukashenko’s press secretary issued a statement that Lukashenko was “controlling the situation” and directing security forces (who were predominantly stationary) throughout the day and falsely claimed protesters “literally ran” when security forces deployed Belarusian security forces did not take any action against protesters on Aug. 23. Lukashenko likely made the trip to frame himself as a strongman in the face of mass protests. Lukashenko will likely increasingly militarize his response to protesters in the coming week.
Protests in Belarus
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Belarusian diaspora members and Ukrainian activists wave a flag with the Pahonia, an unofficial Belarusian coat of arms, during a rally in support of the Belarusian protests against the results of the Aug. 9, 2020, presidential election in Belarus in downtown Kyiv on Aug. 16, 2020.
