© Andrei Stasevich/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS
"Don't go out into the streets now! Understand that you and your children are being used as cannon fodder," Lukashenko said Friday, during a meeting with the country's National Security Council.
They've already come here in large numbers from Poland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, from this 'Open Russia' - [Russian opposition figure Alexey] Navalny and so on and so forth. The aggression against the country has already begun.Addressing the handling of the protests by the police, Lukashenko has all but defended the sweeping police action. At least 6,700 people have been detained over the past few days, while the authorities have been accused of excessive force and even "torture" of incarcerated protesters. Lukashenko insisted that, as a "military man," he has no other option than to deal with the unrest, however.
"Do you want me to sit and wait until the whole of Minsk is upside down? We'll stabilize the situation later," the president said, promising to "deal with" the foreigners who allegedly came to Belarus to take part in the unrest.
Comment: According to Lukashenko, Belarus would "cease to exist as a country" if the authorities conceded to demands for a new election. Putin has told Lukashenko that Russia is willing to provide military assistance to Belarus if necessary to ensure Belarus' security.
Meanwhile, on the protest front, several state television presenters have resigned in support of the protests - others from the police and security forces have done the same.
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