After days of speculation about his health, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko was seen again at a rendezvous with the military. State television in Minsk showed the 68-year-old in a military green uniform on Monday.
After the May 9 celebration on the anniversary of the victory of the Red Army over Hitler’s Germany, which Lukashenko left prematurely, he disappeared from the scene – until Monday. But the photos and videos now published also showed a 68-year-old who looked battered and had his left hand bandaged. Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya called on her country’s people to prepare for political change. “We have to be well prepared for every scenario. To put Belarus on the road to democracy and prevent Russian interference,” she wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Helicopters and fighter jets shot down: increased alertness
The public appointment that Lukashenko attended on Monday took place at an army command center. There, the president spoke in a hoarse voice about the recent downing of helicopters and planes in the Russian border area Bryansk. Saturday’s events have put Belarus on extra alert, Lukashenko said. “Four planes were shot down. We had to respond to that. Since then, we have been on heightened preparedness,” he said. So far, Russian authorities had only confirmed the “crash” of a helicopter, but gave no details. On the other hand, Russian media reported that two Su-34 and Su-35 Sukhoi fighter jets and two Mi-8 helicopters were shot down with missiles.
Lukashenko, who supports Russia in the war against Ukraine, said the jets and helicopters had been shot down. On the other hand, the Ukrainian Air Force denied responsibility on Sunday, claiming that the Russian anti-aircraft system shot down its technology.
Source: Krone
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