President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko instructed the country’s military command to take “the toughest measures” in order to protect the territorial integrity of the republic, Sputnik Belarus reported on Saturday.
The head of state gave such an order during a visit to a military training ground near the city of Grodno.
The head of state instructed the Minister of Defense and the Commander of the Western Operational Command to make every effort to “protect, first of all, the western pearl of Belarus with its center in Grodno”.
“With the adoption of the toughest measures to protect the territorial integrity of our country”, – Lukashenko stressed, quoted by the agency.
Massive opposition protests began across Belarus on August 9, after the presidential elections, which Lukashenko won – according to the CEC, he gained 80.1% of the vote. In the first days, the actions were suppressed by the security forces; against the protesters who did not agree with the results, they used tear gas, water cannons, stun grenades, and rubber bullets. Then the law enforcement agencies stopped dispersing the rallies and using force. According to official data, over 6.7 thousand people were detained in the first days. As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, hundreds of people were injured during the riots, including over 120 law enforcement officers.