Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Belarus in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. As the Kremlin's press service reported on Tuesday, the conversation was initiated by Berlin.
"The in-depth discussion focused on the developments in Belarus in the wake of the presidential election. The Russian side stressed that any attempts to interfere in the country’s domestic affairs from the outside leading to a further escalation of the crisis would be unacceptable. The two leaders expressed hope that the situation returns to normal as soon as possible," the message reads.
In Belarus, where the presidential election was held on August 9, mass protests of those who disagree with the results of the vote have been held for more than a week. In the early days, these actions were accompanied by clashes with law enforcement officers. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, more than 6 thousand people were detained, and several dozen law enforcement officers and protesters were injured. According to the CEC, Alexander Lukashenko won with 80.10%. The second place with 10.12% took Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, which he called his main rival. On August 16, Minsk hosted the largest rally of opponents of President Lukashenko.
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Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS