Belomaidan approached Lukashenko’s residence: Old Man forced Kolya to put on a helmet
For the second weekend in a row, the pro-Western opposition in Minsk managed to assemble the same impressive protest as last Sunday. Opponents of Alexander Lukashenko shouted the same slogans “Go away” and “Tribunal,” and the nationalist chant “Live Belarus!” Nationalist white and red flags prevailed, although state banners also began to appear.
Again, there was no rally or other crowd organizing activities. People simply stood on Independence Square and nearby streets.
After this, a significant number of protesters went to the “Minsk Hero City” stele. These actions can be considered provocative, since today the Minister of Defense of Belarus Viktor Khrenin said that the army takes under its protection all monuments of the Great Patriotic War and will not allow actions with red and white flags, which were used by collaborators during the fascist occupation, to be held near them.
Barbed wire was strung around the stele during the day. In addition, special forces soldiers lined up. Maidan activists approached the security forces and shouted for them to come over to their side. This did not last long; a significant part of the protesters chose to return to the center. Representatives of the coordination committee who arrived at the stele asked people not to provoke the security forces.
At this time, the Polish “network” of Telegram channels, which has been coordinating Belarusian protests for two weeks, called on its subscribers to move to the Palace of the Republic, where the president’s residence is located.
On the approaches to the palace (the Great Patriotic War Museum is also located there), a chain of special forces soldiers lined up, as well as special equipment that was used to disperse the protests on the night of August 10 (water cannons and Rubezh complexes).
At first, the Maidan workers (the crowd that approached again, as on the night after the elections, consisted mainly of young men) did not dare to come close to the military and stopped 200 meters away. Then the protesters began to approach, the most active ones running up almost close. They shouted, sang songs, danced.
At some point, those gathered saw a helicopter landing on the roof of the presidential residence. They interpreted this as the evacuation of President Alexander Lukashenko, who was allegedly afraid of them. Considering this their victory, the Maidan workers began to disperse.
In fact, Lukashenko did not evacuate, but, on the contrary, arrived at his residence. His official telegram channel published a video of the president getting out of a helicopter with a machine gun in his hands. Next to him is his fifteen-year-old son Nikolai, also with a machine gun in a bulletproof vest and helmet.
The last most active group of Maidan activists near the Palace of the Republic was detained by security forces, but immediately released. In addition, security forces were transferred to the center of Minsk.
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