Belarus opposition says they are ‘prepared’ amid rumors Lukashenka is ill – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Self-exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tikhanovskaya has called on the Belarusian public and international community to “be prepared for any scenario” as Minsk and state media have avoided reporting rumors that Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenko is ill.

“There are many rumors about the health of dictator Lukashenka,” Tikhanovskaya, a prominent Lukashenka critic and political opponent, said. wrote on Twitter on May 15th. “For us it means only one thing: we should be well prepared for every scenario. Put Belarus on the path to democracy and prevent Russian interference. We need the initiative and speed of the international community.”

Tsikhanouskaya’s remarks, which claim Lukashenka stole her victory in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, come down to this Speculation has increased that the longtime authoritarian leader is ill.

Meanwhile, Belarus’ state news agency BelTA reported on May 15 that Lukashenka is visiting the central command post of the country’s air force, where he will be briefed on the operations of anti-aircraft units.

The Telegram channel of Lukashenka’s press service, Pul Pervogo, also reported on Lukashenka’s visit to the central command post of the Luftwaffe and published a photo listening to a military officer’s report on a road surrounded by a dense forest. In the still, his left hand appears to be bandaged, similar to last week when he was one of the few leaders to take part in Russia’s Victory Day Parade in Moscow. Lukashenka looked uncomfortable in this performance.

Lukashenka has not been seen in public since May 9, when he attended Victory Day celebrations in Moscow and Minsk but skipped a lunch hosted by his close ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On May 14, he failed to appear at a ceremony in the Belarusian capital to mark the day of the country’s national flag, coat of arms and national anthem. Belarusian Prime Minister Raman Halouchanka delivered a speech on behalf of Lukashenka during the celebrations.

The crisis in Belarus

Read our current coverage while Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his crackdown on NGOs, activists and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election, which is widely seen as a fraud.

Lukashenka, 68, has also not attended other public events in the past three weeks, but there has been no official statement on his health condition or the reasons for his absence. Lukashenka’s press service only said that he was still working “with documents”.

On May 15, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was best to heed official statements by Belarusian authorities on rumors of Lukashenka’s poor health.

However, the Belarusian state media seems to avoid the subject, mainly reporting on Lukashenka’s previous activities. In a report on the Day of the National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem, state television broadcaster ANT showed excerpts from Lukashenka’s speech to the Security Council on February 28.

On May 15, state television station BT-1 did not report Lukashenka’s alleged illness and broadcast reports about the opening of a commercial facility in Moscow and the results of Turkey’s presidential elections.

Other state television programs limited pictures of Lukashenka to his trip to Moscow on May 9, while the state news agency BelTA published an article about his “symbolic week”, including laying a wreath at the Victory Day monument in Minsk after his return to Moscow and his positive response to an invitation to a UN event in September.

External media covering Belarus, meanwhile, reported on May 13 that Lukashenka had arrived at the Republican Clinical Medical Center in Minsk. Roads to the hospital were reportedly blocked as his motorcade approached, and security guards stood along the route.

Lukashenka has been in power since 1994. After the 2020 election, he was awarded a fifth consecutive term by the Belarusian Electoral Commission, prompting mass protests and claims by Tikhanovskaya and other opposition leaders that the election had been rigged.

Lukashenka’s security forces brutally cracked down on the mass protests for months, imprisoning opposition figures and driving others, including Tichanovskaya, into exile.

Subsequently, the authoritarian leader supported Putin in Russia’s war against Ukraine and allowed Russian forces to use Belarusian territory as a base for Russian intervention.

With reporting from BelTA and Pul Pervogo