With Belarus set to hold its next presidential elections on January 26, 2025, Russia has expressed its readiness to deploy security forces if protests erupt during the election period.
This information was reported by BelTA, as Belarus prepares for what could be a tense electoral season.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, announced in February his intention to run for a seventh term. The Central Election Commission of Belarus has confirmed its preparations for the upcoming campaign.
Russia’s ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, told The Moscow Times that Russia would step in to provide "assistance" in case of any "attempts at destabilization" during the elections.
He emphasized that Belarusian authorities are already anticipating potential provocations and that being well-informed would allow them to respond accordingly.
The backdrop to these concerns stems from the mass protests following Belarus’s 2020 presidential election, where Lukashenko claimed victory with over 80% of the vote.
Many Belarusians, along with international observers, challenged these results, accusing the government of fraud.
The protests, which lasted from 2020 to 2021, were some of the largest in the country’s history, and they were met with violent crackdowns by security forces.
The aftermath saw widespread international condemnation, with numerous reports of violence, mass arrests, and torture of protesters.
