According to a TASS correspondent in the Belarusian capital, demonstrators are heading to the center from various districts. In some places, however, police and police cars block their way. Independence Square, where protesters traditionally gather, has been cut off by barriers set in adjacent streets.
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According to the Belarusian server Tut.by, there is also military equipment on the streets. The Palace of Independence, which is the representative seat of President Lukashenko, is guarded by strong divisions of armed members of the Interior Ministry troops. Police antones and buses to transport arrests and water cannons are parked next to him.
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Protesters in Minsk
Photo: Tut.by, Reuters
The crowd of protesters also wanted to go to the Drozdy district, where the Belarusian elite live, including the president, but the police prevented him from doing so.
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Tut.by also informs about demonstrations in other Belarusian cities. These include Gomel, Vitebsk, Lida, Mogylev, Brest and Bobrujsk. Although foreign agencies say this is the fifth time in a row that more than a hundred thousand people have been on the streets on Sunday and footage of the streets is crowded, the Interior Ministry said around 3 pm that there were no more than 3,000.
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Belarusians on the streets of Minsk
Photo: Tut.by, Reuters
Belarus is experiencing the biggest protests since independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. They erupted after the disputed presidential election on August 9, after which Lukashenko, who has ruled the country hard for 26 years, has declared himself the clear winner. The opposition, like the EU, does not recognize the results of the vote and considers them to be falsified.
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