Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Cichanouska said it was necessary to prepare for any scenario. He was reacting to rumors about the alleged illness of the country’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. He has not appeared in public since the military parades in Moscow and Minsk on May 9, and on Sunday he was also absent from a national flag salute ceremony, fueling speculation about his failing health.
Minsk did not comment on speculation about Lukashenko. However, Belarus state media published a photo on Monday that it said showed Lukashenko visiting an air force and air defense base. Oppo server Naša Niva takes note of this picture Lukashenko’s other hand is bandaged than in Moscow, which, according to the portal, may indicate that he has to be connected regularly to IVs, a vest-like outline can be seen underneath Lukashenko’s jacket.
“There are many rumors about dictator Lukashenko’s health. For us, this means only one thing: we must be prepared for any scenario,” he wrote on Twitter Cichanouská, who lives in exile in Lithuania due to persecution by the Belarusian authorities. He added that Belarus needs to be directed to the path of democracy and prevent Russian interference. “We need the international community to be proactive and fast,” he urged the world.
The 68-year-old Lukashenko, who has ruled the Eastern European country with a heavy hand since 1994, has not appeared in public for six days, according to media. Last Sunday on Tuesday, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of several other post-Soviet countries, he watched a military parade in Moscow to mark the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Several Russian and Belarusian journalists noted that he looked tired on Red Square.
Lukashenko did not stay in Russia until the end of the celebrations and returned to Minsk. There he attended events commemorating the end of World War II, but did not give a speech. According to Reuters, this was the first time during his reign. On Sunday, he was represented by the Prime Minister at the national flag salute ceremony. On Saturday, according to some media outlets, Lukashenko visited a clinic on the outskirts of Minsk, which is used by the country’s top representatives. According to one opposition leader and former culture minister Pavel Latuška, Lukashenko “appears to be very ill”.
According to the Radio Free Europe/Radio Svoboda stations, Lukashenko has not participated in any other public events in the past three weeks, however, Minsk has yet to give an official statement regarding his absence or possible health status. Lukashenko’s press department said only that they were continuing to work “with documents”, the radio station wrote.
Putin’s spokesman would not comment on Lukashenko’s condition on Monday. “Official reports must be followed. There is no such official report from Minsk,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Minsk is considered Moscow’s closest ally. Although Belarus was not directly involved in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Belarus provided Russia with its territory and airport.
Lukashenko has been in power since July 1994. The last time, according to official results, he won the elections in 2020. But the opposition and Western countries consider this vote fraudulent, in fact, according to them, Cichanouská won. Dissatisfaction with the elections led to demonstrations of unprecedented proportions in the country. Security forces brutally suppressed the protests, arresting tens of thousands of people and beating thousands of them. Many Belarusians fled abroad.
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