Live Updates: Lukashenko Says 'Mobbing' of Belarus Government a Part of Plan to Pressure Russia

MINSK (Sputnik) - The opposition candidate, in case there is a new presidential election in Belarus, is not defined yet, Pavel Latushko, a member of the coordination council of the Belarusian opposition, said on Saturday.

"The candidate has not yet been determined, this is out of the question," Latushko said.

According to the council’s member, Belarus needs to solve other issues before holding new elections, including cases of violence against citizens. Latushko added that the Supreme Court of Belarus has to consider complaints about the August 9 election before new ones can be held.

"If the supreme court makes a legal decision that there will be new elections, then we will talk about candidates and political forces," Latushko said.

MINSK (Sputnik) - Approximately 3,000 people joined a rally against police brutality in the Belarusian capital on Saturday, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.

The Saturday gathering in central Minsk was dedicated to the victims of police violence during the dispersal of anti-government protests that rocked Belarus since the August 9 presidential election.

The rally started in front of the Komarovsky market, and some 700 women, dressed in all white and holding flowers, gathered nearby.

Later on, more people joined the demonstration, and protesters marched towards the Independence Square. The protesters then turned back to the market, where the rally ended.

According to the correspondent, the police did not detain anyone during the demonstration.

WARSAW (Sputnik) - Poland does not have any claims to the Belarusian territory and is not planning to violate its territorial integrity, Polish presidential spokesman Krzysztof Szczerski said on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during an address to pro-government protesters in the city of Grodno that "that are enough of those" in Poland who would like to annex some western Belarusian lands.

"Poland is a state that consistently supports the supremacy of international law in relations between countries in the international arena … The foundation of this right is the condition of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states", Szczerski said, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.

The spokesman added that Warsaw is surprised that Belarusian leaders are resorting to assumptions about Poland’s territorial claims to the neighbouring country in their propaganda.

"Poland did not have and does not have such intentions", Szczerski added.

MINSK (Sputnik) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called on citizens to "forgive" police officers if they made some mistakes.

"What will you do if streets will engulfed in banditry? Whom do you call to? ... Do not harass these people. These are your people. Forgive them even if they made some mistakes", Lukashenko said at a pro-government meeting in Grodno.

MINSK (Sputnik) - President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko gave an instruction to close striking factories starting from Monday.

"I ask governors and chairmen of executive committees: if someone does not want to work, do not force them. Do not do this. We still will not be able to force them and will not persuade them. The country will survive this. But if the enterprise does not work, we will put the lock on the gate on Monday. People will calm down. We will figure out whom to invite to work to this enterprise later", Lukashenko said at a supporters' rally in Grodno.

MINSK (Sputnik) - A pro-government rally began earlier on Saturday in the Belarusian city of Grodno, with President Alexander Lukashenko attending the event to address his supporters, as broadcast by the Russian Ruptly video news agency.

Several hundred participants gathered with some holding national flags, and some made speeches in support of Lukashenko and stability in the country.

The Belarusian leader, addressing the crowd, said that security forces had to maintain order both inside and on the borders of the country.

"At the western border, the situation is unstable, they [Western countries] rattle the saber, threaten, openly interfere in the internal affairs of our sovereign state", Lukashenko said, adding that if he was not the country's president, Belarus would be "destroyed."

The president also instructed border guard officers to prevent arms, militants and instigators from entering the country. According to Lukashenko, all those who coordinated and triggered unrest in Belarus are in neighbouring countries and receive support from foreign governments.

The leader instructed the country's law enforcement agencies to ensure order on the streets of Grodno and other cities over the weekend.

Lukashenko also thanked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states for their support but said that Belarus can solve the ongoing crisis on its own.

"Both the leadership of our country and the leadership of the CSTO members have taken a firm position on supporting Belarus and making sure that the country is not abused. I am grateful to the heads of those states that support Belarus today. But I am sure we can handle the situation ourselves", Lukashenko said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will visit Moscow next week and discuss the recent developments in Belarus, among other topics, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Saturday.

"US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will be in Moscow next week as part of his European tour", Ryabkov said.

"Belarus will be discussed, but the agenda of his consultations is much broader — it is not only Belarus but also a whole range of other issues, including various aspects of Russian-US bilateral relations. A number of meetings at various levels were planned," the diplomat added.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has instructed the military command to take "the most stringent measures" to protect the territorial integrity of the republic in light of mass anti-government protests.

The head of state gave such an order during a visit to a military training ground near the city of Grodno.

Lukashenko in particular instructed the defence minister and the head of the Western Operational Command to make every effort to "protect, first of all, the western pearl of Belarus with its centre in Grodno", as quoted by the state-run news agency Belta.

According to the president, the events in Belarus are occurring in line with a colour revolution scenario.

"The originality and peculiarity of the situation lies in the fact that an external factor is involved, which is not always the case", Lukashenko added.

Lukashenko also accused Western nations of direct interfering in the situation in the country, saying there were attempts to get the Belarusian authorities into negotiations with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on the current situation.

"It is about financing, getting us into talks with the OSCE — it is clear why they do this", Lukashenko added.

In addition, the Belarusian leader said that NATO countries provided military support for the destabilisation of the situation in Belarus.

"Military support is evident — the movement of NATO troops to the borders. They are all moving toward getting a supposedly new president here. He appeals to Western states, in this case, NATO, to protect the population. They send troops - and you can put an end to Belarus", Lukashenko added.