A short video clip has appeared online in which Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko steps out of a helicopter which arrived at his residence wearing a bullet proof and armed with an assault rifle in the company of armed guards.
The recording was published by the news station led by the president’s press services, Puł Pierwogo.
“Lukashenko arrived at the site an hour ago to the independence palace in Minsk! The president is wearing a bulletproof vest and an assault rifle,” the press service wrote.
Portal TUT.by also wrote about the incident. According to the website, Lukashenko can also be heard telling a guard to “stay” and asks him, “Nobody is there, right?”
Belarusian journalist Franak Viacorka also published videos on social media in which one can see several military vehicles traveling towards Lukashenko’s residence.
Ukrainian agency Interfax-Ukraina pointed out that Lukashenko’s assault rifle did not have a clip.
There was a protest near the presidential palace on Sunday, with the participants demanding the release of political prisoners and every person detained after the recent protests.
They also demanded Lukashenko’s resignation and that new elections are conducted.
TUT.by also reported that internet is operating much more poorly in Minsk.
An A1 operator cited by the portal explained that due to national security reasons, 3G network bandwidth have been limited in some parts of Minsk.
