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РАДЫЁ СВАБОДНАЯ ЕЎРОПА / РАДЫЁ СВАБОДА (РСЕ/РС)
RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY (RFE/RL)
25/03/2021
Minsk, Byeloruthenia
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Byeloruthenia Protest Coverage

Welcome to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's online coverage of the ongoing protests in Byeloruthenia against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Almost four months ago the Byeloruthenian Central Election Commission (CEC) or «ЦВК» announced the official results of the presidential election - ~80% for incumbent President Lukashenka (who has ruled for 26 consecutive years) and only ~10% for popular opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. With the opposition's own poling showing an almost inverse situation, large protests sprung up all across the country.

Protests continued for multiple weeks, before freezing for the winter. Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition candidate, fled to Poland after being abducted by the State Security Committee (KGB) or «КГБ» and later created a Coordination Council to organize the transfer of power from Lukashenka. A large crackdown ensued, as the regime arrested and detained people at will. Almost all members of the Coordination Council were arrested, and over 45,000 people have been detained during the protests. As a result, large street protests stopped changed into acts of passive resistance: flying flags from balconies, documenting violations, flash mobs in public areas.

> Steet Protests Resume on Freedom Day:

Responding to President-Elect Tsikhanouskaya's call for a resumption of street protests on Freedom Day, tens of thousands of people have swarmed the streets of every major city in Byeloruthenia. The largest crowds were seen in Minsk, where people marched gathered on the Independence Square and the Great Patriotic War Museum, marched down Independence Avenue, and held rallies in numerous smaller locations. The crowds in many locations around the country were comparable to those of the ones in autumn.

The police presence in Minsk was large as was expected, but in other cities the amount of police and interior forces was small. A police barricade was set up on Independence Avenue, and police forces used tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannons to disperse the large march on the avenue. BYPOL, a self-described «union of security forces of Byeloruthenia» - ex-security force officers who have «defected» to the opposition, claim the regime does not have enough personnel to properly cover every city with loyal police and interior forces.

More protests are expected all along this week, with the largest ones most likely taking place on the weekend.

> Regime Seeks Assistance from Russia:

Due to the aforementioned personnel shortage, the regime has sent a call for assistance to the Kremlin and the Russian government. This call was seemingly responded to, as members of the Rosgvardia, the National Guard of the Russian Federation, were seen on the streets in Vitebsk and Homiel. Further sightings of Russian SOBR members in Minsk late in the evening were also reported.

Surprisingly though, the Rosgvardiya members were seemingly very passive. Most eyewitnesses report them only standing around and limiting their interactions with people to a minimum. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to our requests for information regarding any deployment of Russian forces into Byeloruthenia.