Alexander Lukashenko orders Belarus army to defend borders as protests continue

The strongman leader’s victory in the August 9 election sparked mass protests and calls for him to step down

Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, in exile in Lithuania, said she sees herself as a symbol of change, but would not run for president again

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Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko speaks during a rally in his support on Saturday. He has rejected the idea of holding another ballot and dismissed calls to resign. Photo: AP

Published: 11:28pm, 22 Aug 2020Updated: 7:18am, 23 Aug 2020

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday ordered his defence minister to take “stringent measures” to defend the country’s territorial integrity after mass protests erupted against his claim to election victory.

The 65-year-old authoritarian leader, who said he won a sixth presidential term with 80 per cent of the vote in the August 9 ballot, made the comments while inspecting military units in Grodno, near Belarus’s border with Poland, according to the president’s press service.

Lukashenko denounced the recent mass protests, which he said were receiving support from Western countries, and ordered the army to defend western Belarus, which he described as “a pearl”.

“It involves taking the most stringent measures to protect the territorial integrity of our country,” Lukashenko said.

People listen to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a rally in his support in Grodno on August 22. Photo: AP

His visit comes ahead of large-scale military exercises planned in the Grodno region between August 28 and 31.

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