Belarussian leader orders police to quash protests, EU prepares sanctions

MINSK / BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday ordered his police to stage protests in the capital, Minsk, signaling an escalation after a week and a half of mass demonstrations against his government.

Lukashenko’s mandate came when European Union leaders held an emergency summit on the political crisis in Belarus, long a loyal neighbor of Russia, which has heavily militarized borders with EU member states Poland and Lithuania.

EU leaders were expected to impose sanctions on Belarusian officials accused of electoral fraud following a disputed August 9 election that the opposition said it would win.

“There should be no more harassment in Minsk,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by Belta official news agency. ‘People are tired. People demand peace and quiet. ”

For the biggest challenge of his 26-year rule, he ordered border controls to be tightened to prevent an influx of “fighters and weapons”. Employers at state media who quit in protest against government policies will not be fired, he said.

Lukashenko, 65, also ordered intelligence agencies to continue searching for street protest organizers, Belta said.

EU leaders maintain a fine diplomatic line, trying to support democratic forces in Belarus without provoking Moscow’s anger.

‘Violence must stop and a peaceful and inclusive dialogue must be launched. The leadership of #Belarus must reflect the will of the people, “wrote Charles Michel, the EU’s president, in a tweet announcing the launch of a video conference.

“BELARUS IS JUST EUROPE”

The EU wants to prevent a repeat of what happened in neighboring Ukraine six years ago, when a pro-Russian leader was ousted in a popular uprising, launching a Russian military intervention and Europe’s deadliest ongoing conflict.

“Belarus is not Europe,” said EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton, comparing it to pro-Western Ukraine and Georgia, both targets of Russian military operations. “Belarus is really strongly associated with Russia and the majority of the population is in favor of concluding ties with Russia.”

Russia has consistently warned the West against taking steps that it would characterize as mediation. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused unidentified foreign powers of interference, which he called unacceptable.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has urged the EU to reject Lukashenko’s election victory. A 37-year-old political novice, she stood as his main challenger in the election after better-known opposition figures were imprisoned or banned from standing.

“I urge you not to acknowledge these fraudulent elections,” Tsikhanouskaya said in English in a video address from the exile in neighboring Lithuania, where she fled to the polls telling her followers that she won.

“Mr. “Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world,” she said.

Lukashenko, a former collective farm boss, seems to be underestimating the public anger in his country after official results gave him victory with 80 percent of the vote.

Large state-owned factories have clashed with the Protestants, and authorities have acknowledged that some police officers have resigned.

“UNION STATE” WITH RUSSIA

Speaking with his security council on Wednesday, Lukashenko reiterated accusations that the protesters were funded from abroad.

Russia is likely to play a decisive role in how the crisis plays out. Of all the former Soviet republics, Belarus has by far the closest economic, cultural, and political ties to Russia, and its territory is central to Russia’s defense strategy. Since the 1990s, the two countries have proclaimed themselves part of a ‘union state’, complete with a Soviet-style red flag.

Data from the flight tracking showed that a Russian government aircraft used in the past to carry senior officials, including the head of the FSB security service, was flying to Belarus and back. Officials from Russia and Belarus have not commented publicly on the flight.

Despite close bilateral ties, Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained a strained personal relationship with Lukashenko. The Kremlin now faces the choice of sticking with him to see if he clings or trying to manage a transition to a new leader who would still keep Minsk in Moscow’s job.

Belarussian opposition figures set up a council on Tuesday to negotiate a transition, a move proposed by Lukashenko in an attempt to seize power.

The protests have spread to some of Belarus’s main industrial plants, which support Lukashenko’s economic model. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Wednesday, removing two people from the Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ).

Police also took control of the state theater in Minsk. It became a hotbed of protests when its director, a former Belarusian diplomat, was fired after speaking out in favor of the opposition.