The day of the election of the President of Belarus, which predictably was won by Alexander Lukashenko, ended in mass protests and clashes with police across the country. Against protesters threw machinery, military and riot police with grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas. There are wounded and, according to rumors, even the dead. Monday night, history repeated itself: again the Belarusians took to the streets.
The main rival of the first and only President Svetlana Tikhanovski does not accept defeat and is ready to go to the end. Lukashenko, it seems, is quite pleased with how things turn out, and again talks about “the puppeteers”, who unsuccessfully muddy water in his country. The opinion of the world community about what is happening in Belarus is divided.
China, several former Soviet republics, and Russia has congratulated the permanent President with the victory and Europe is thinking about tougher sanctions. “Ribbon.ru” I talked to the direct participants of street fighting, opposition representatives and political scientists, to understand what is happening.
the Celebrated
“you Know, this [the election of] the occasion. Someone wanted to ruin this celebration,” — so acting and, according to the CEC, was elected to a sixth term President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has described the election day in the country, which ended with mass protests and clashes with Riot police.
According to official figures, suffered 39 of the security forces and more than fifty civilians. According to unofficial — wounded a lot more, there are even dead. For example, the whereabouts of the young man who caught the crowd entered the police van. But Minsker, who was believed dead, was alive — indeed, the police themselves took him out of the paddy wagon and asked him to call him an ambulance.
Particularly violent clashes took place in the center of Minsk — the first security forces wielded batons, then in the course went tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. Did not abate the explosions of stun grenades flying in protesters. As a result, several people received serious injuries and was hospitalized in serious condition. Protesters from the military was covering trams and motorists. There were, however, cases when the police refused to use force. In Lida riot police lowered the shields in Pinsk head of the Executive Committee came out to negotiate with the protesters, in Baranavichy policemen just stepped in front of a crowd of protesters.
In fact, the confrontation began Sunday afternoon when the city began to pull together military equipment and people EN masse were arrested without explanation in the streets. In the morning the people complained about problems with Internet access and bad mobile connection. Human rights activists reported that he was detained not only activists, but also independent observers.
But the Belarusian authorities, first and foremost, Lukashenka did not seem to hear what the protesters are shouting not for the first month. Record turnout and queues at polling stations, CEC head Lidia Yarmoshyna explained the provocation of the opposition electorate — say, they are especially delayed in the booths and disrupt the voting. No serious complaint, the Commission has not fixed and hinted that all applications received from disgruntled citizens — an obvious fake. Belarusian secret services believe that the combined headquarters of the opposition koordiniruyutsya “puppeteers” from the Czech Republic. Lukashenko said about the “particular influx "Alex"” from the territory of Ukraine and Russia, and the Belarusian Internet and completely disabled from abroad.
The main rival of Lukashenko Svetlana Tikhanovski already declared that is not going to surrender and will use every legitimate means to challenge the election results — according to her staff, and alternative to the exit poll, she received about 80 percent of the vote. So, will not surrender and its supporters. Protests in Belarus continues.
<a href = "the Dictator started the war"
Disgruntled citizens find ways to get in touch though the Internet in Belarus is still not working. Opposition resources, for example, Telegram-channel opposition journalist Stepan Putilo Nexta Live, spread the calls to continue action on 10 August with the title “the Dictator started the war”. Protesters are asked to carry a first aid kit and to buy protective gear in construction and sports shops, the designated point of collection and strategy — for example, it is recommended to get in “hitch” to resist detention, sing songs and not to go out into the wide avenues where you can be surrounded by.
Most of the user are different from those which the protesters followed on 9 August. If in the regions people are advised to gather in the center of the city, Minsk the point of collection has changed: the nearest metro stations and areas near the house, then move in groups to the town centre, which have already settled technique is to “pinch punitive on all sides, maximum stretch their strength and to wear down”.
Obviously, the tactics have changed after yesterday’s battle near the Stela “Minsk — hero city” in the heart of the city where four major highways of the capital. The protesters, who have been there, anonymous said “the Tape.ru” that the security forces kept walking down these streets people of steles and did not allow them to merge into a single stream. “The first people stood on the sides of the road, then took to the road and moved to the stele. The security forces started to detonate stun grenades. People stopped, stepped back, and then again began to gather and attack, and so several times”.
The man saw the most�� the time of entry of the paddy wagon into the crowd. “From the Timiryazev street, where people walked, drove one van, he said. — The people did not let him pass, and the driver has pressed the pedal. One man hung on this car, then fell, and on foot he traveled, judging by the photos, which I then saw. Until half past the night stand, then the people pushed back and began to drive away from the center of major streets converging to the stele”.
Another eyewitness, appeared on the other adjacent to the stele highway — Nemiga street, collided directly with the military, which was thrown on the suppression of the riots. He said that people just ran helter-skelter, and there were used rubber bullets.
According to his observations, the power structures have generally done so as to surround the stele, and then to displace people so they could not connect into one stream. “And if joined… don’t even know,” adds the source “ru”.
August 10 was to be held a peaceful rally with the participation of Svetlana Tikhanovski. But she refused to go outside, so obviously the clashes between security forces and disaffected citizens will continue, and so will again be wounded, and arrested.
“the Team Tikhanovski decided that Svetlana is better to refrain from direct participation in street protests, to avoid provocations from the authorities that can be used against all supporters of change. She is a team person, so she agreed with the General decision,” said “the Tape.ru” in the headquarters of the United opposition.
The representative of the headquarters of the Anna krasulina explained that the mission Tikhanovski is to be a man who will give everyone a single message, bringing people a positive attitude, in the struggle for their future and their children’s future as much as everyone is ready for this fight and can afford it.
“For some, it’s — strike, for others, the withdrawal of money from banks for third — and-white bracelet on the hand. The level of manifestation of protest is different and every person defines it himself,” explained our interviewee principles of the opposition.
As for Svetlana, she, according to Krasulino, has become a politician, but it is obvious that it is not the marketplace leader and a unifying figure, so it is important to take care of.
“I don’t know, maybe you are from Russia it seems otherwise, but in Belarus, all perfectly understand that she really is a mother and a wife, who stood in place of the set husband. Her and perceive”,” says our interlocutor.
“We count on the support of caring people in Russia, a larger number of supporters of democracy. People who do not share the opinion of Putin on this issue — added krasulina. — The Belarusian people are ripe for a change, I realized that he is ready �� freedom and normal development, he defends their rights, wants to do the best for their children. So I’m sure the Russian people will support”.
the Greetings from a puzzled
Obviously, krasulina hinted at the fact that the President of Russia Vladimir Putin sent Lukashenko a congratulatory telegram, which expressed the hope that the continuation of the work of his colleagues will “contribute to further development of mutually beneficial Russian-Belarusian relations in all spheres”, including integration within the Union state.
This is despite the fact that Lukashenka criticizes Russia and a Treaty of Alliance since last year, when Moscow and Minsk failed to agree on energy prices (due to tax maneuver in the Russian oil industry it’s on par with the world total), Lukashenko demanded to sell oil and gas at domestic prices in Russia, he replied that this should be public education, that is, to deepen the integration.
Then, during a pandemic, Lukashenko said that the closure of Russia’s borders “absolute nonsense” and “stupidity” and accused Moscow of deterioration of relations of the fraternal peoples. In the last months before the elections, the Belarusian leader noted new bright statements on this matter — for example, said that integration is absolutely impossible.
In addition, right before the election there were two extremely unpleasant for Moscow history. The first relates to the detention of the ex-rival Lukashenka, former Chairman of Belgazprombank Viktor Bariko in the case of the withdrawal of millions of illicit funds abroad. Special services in Minsk declared that the banker was “the puppeteers in the manual "Gazprom", and maybe higher.”
The second story happened recently: in Minsk detained the 33 Russians, which the state authorities of Minsk called militants PMC Wagner and associates blogger Sergei Tikhanovski, against which investigated the case of preparation of terrorist acts and mass riots. Both times, Moscow had to justify that it does not interfere in foreign elections, and the “action” actually turned out to be private security guards and driving the transit in Africa, but they were framed.
On it troubles of Russian citizens in Belarus is not over. On election day, security forces detained when performing their professional duties more than a dozen journalists from Russia. Especially remembered the detention of the correspondent of “Rain”, which in broad daylight on the street just put his face on the pavement, bundled into a car and taken to the police. Later in the Ministry explained that they have no accreditation, and soon they were simply expelled.
Others even less fortunate. The author of the project WarGonzo, of posted by Seeds Pegova was detained in a semi-conscious state, hands dragging on the ground — video footage of the detention publishedWali many channels the next day. The police also detained the correspondent of RT, Daily Storm, Meduza and other media — only 17 people. Russian foreign Ministry demands to solve the issue soon, however, the whereabouts of all detained media workers are still not installed.
The Chairman of the Board of the Russian public organization “Federal national cultural autonomy of "the Ukrainians of Russia"”, the political analyst Bogdan Bezpalko explained, “the Tape.”ru, why Russia don’t react to how the West, which calls for an urgent tightening of sanctions. First, the relatively large volumes of oil and gas from Russia are in transit through Belarus. Second, if Lukashenko will come from integration unions, such as the CSTO, the Eurasian economic Union, the Federal States for the Kremlin, it will be a significant damage to image and reputation.
“Finally, Lukashenko has effectively held up 33 people with Russian citizenship, threatening to give them to Ukraine (some of them fought in the Donbass on the side of the militia — approx. “Of the tape.ru”). All of these factors, especially against the background of anti-Russian statements of other candidates, Babariko, Tsepkalo, Tikhanovski, — led to the fact that Russia chose watchful waiting,” says Bezpalko.
The analyst explained that Lukashenko for Russia, of course, “not a gift”, and his words about the brotherhood with Russia, he “does not believe for a penny”, because without cheap oil, he’s not gonna do anything and repeatedly proved it. But “their” candidate in Russia during these elections — the Belarusian leader long and diligently clearing the field of Pro-Russian politicians.
“at least He will not immediately after the election to drastically expand the wheel to the West. He will do it gradually. As he outlined in his message — by achieving multidirectional. Russia thus appears for some time to build or adjust its strategy”, — the expert believes.
Bezpalko believes that Lukashenka are not in danger, because he has openly signaled that it is ready for any drastic measures for the sake of power. And in this I agree with Bezpalko, Director of the International Institute of political expertise Yevgeny Minchenko. He points out that the leaders of the opposition with the big share of probability can get real time, and they know it.
Bezpalko indicates that not only Moscow has taken a wait. The West is also not taken against Belarus no hard steps that could significantly undermine the position of Lukashenko or the economy, or the regime. If things continue on, most likely, the protests will be suppressed.
“the West formally may Express a protest, but that means nothing in the background, say, the restoration of diplomatic relations Belarus with the United States. I even wonder if the Americans will Express protest, but still diplomatic relations will not suffer”, — he concluded.
Minchenko might be a little more optimistic towards the protesters. He believes that yesterday’s event was only the first round. And let it won security forces, the opposition too early to write off. In his opinion, Lukashenka has underestimated Tikhanovski and lost the information war in the first place on the Internet, sculpting antagonist of Russia. As a result of the sympathy of the nationalists and Pro-Western electorate, he did not win, but Pro-Russian citizens disoriented.
At the time of delivery of the material at 21:00 MSK (coincides with the Belarusian time) across Belarus people again came out to protest. The riot has already started arrests in the Central Minsk, reported cases of shooting at protesters, witnesses said the military special forces, have been injured, including a journalist of the local newspaper “Nasha Niva”. Stun grenades are used, even against a small group of people going to the centre. The Sides “Of The Tape.ru” being among the protesters, say they noticed the snipers on the roofs.
The opposition intends to continue the protests and on Tuesday, August 11. According to plans sent to people call for a General strike. Already this morning she told some of the workers of the Belarusian metallurgical plant (BMZ) in Zhlobin.
