Mass anti-government protests in Belarus are actually a “color revolution” in action, and Russia may be the next target if the country fails to halt its progress, President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed.
Lukashenko, whose reelection for a sixth term last Sunday sparked mass protests over an alleged rigging of the vote, believes his detractors are unwitting agents of foreign puppeteers and need to be stopped.
“Don’t you lull us with [talk about]peaceful action and demonstrations. We can see what is happening deep down,” the Belarus leader said on Saturday at a government meeting, as cited by local media.
The president added that he should talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin, because “this threat is not against Belarus alone.”
The proposed conversation with Putin reportedly materialized later in the day, but neither side would immediately offer details of the phone call.
Lukashenko is facing increasing pressure from the public after his government launched a police crackdown on the opposition in the wake of last week’s vote. The approach backfired after evidence of police brutality fueled discontent and prompted thousands more people to take the streets and demand the president’s resignation.
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