By Tsarizm Staff | August 23, 2020

Minsk, the capital of Belarus erupted again today in civil unrest as tens of thousands of demonstrators defied dictator Alexander Lukashenko and went to the streets to demand his resignation and a new election.

Crowds of protesters carrying the red-and-white flag of the opposition flooded Independence Square and marched through the capital chanting “freedom” and “we will not forget, we will not forgive” as passing cars honked in support, reported The Moscow Times.

“We have just two demands: fair elections and stop the violence,” 32-year-old Igor told AFP.

Officials had warned Belarusians against participating in “illegal demonstrations” and local news outlets published footage showing water cannon and riot police with shields moving towards Independence Square.

In a surreal moment, Lukashenko arrived at the scene via helicopter carrying a rifle, reminiscent of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

There are reports Moscow is intervening in the situation by now controlling the state-run media outlets, promoting the Western intervention narrative that Belarus is facing a situation like in Ukraine, Syria, Libya for a ‘color revolution’.

It is most likely true Western intelligence agencies are involved in pushing this revolution; however, Lukashenko is detested by most Belarusians, who want a change and a different future.

Russia doesn’t want another Western-Styled Ukraine situation on its western border, now matter how much it loathes Lukashenko’s refusal to follow Moscow’s dictates, and his flirtation with the Washington and Brussels.

The European Union is on the verge of intervening in the internal affairs of Belarus, stating that it does not recognize the election and demanding the transfer of power in the republic, Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev told Izvestia. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the European Union and the United States are taking advantage of the challenging situation in the country and are imposing their own terms on Belarus. Brussels has refused to recognize the outcome of the August 9 presidential election in the country and is gearing up to impose sanctions against the nation’s officials, reported Russian state news agency TASS.

Meanwhile, Moscow is supporting the Belarusian leadership with reserve while not scolding the opposition, but criticizing the European approach. “The thesis on the readiness to facilitate a peaceful transition of power does raise concerns. Here the focus is not on the word “peaceful,” but on the word “transition.” It turns out that the EU believes it can define whether Belarus needs this transition or not. It plans to allocate money for these goals. The question is: where will these funds go? We should keep an eye on this,” Chairman of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev told the paper. “So, the current EU position is beyond its purview and is at least on the brink of meddling in the domestic affairs of Belarus, which is not its member,” he pointed out.

Another point in this narrative’s favor is that Lukashenko refused to ‘lock down’ during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, leading some to think Western forces looking to use the pandemic as a weapon are attempting to punish the Belarusian president.

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This piece originally appeared on Tsarizm.com and is used by permission.

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