Yandex office in Minsk was blocked by armed officers

It is announced that they are blocking the entrances to the building. The situation was reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

Yandex representatives on the meduza.io portal confirmed that their office was being blocked and said they were currently clarifying the details.

It is reported that there are company employees inside the blocked building. The Minsk branch has a total of 120 employees, but most of them currently work from home.

The search is also done at the Uber office.

Yandex representatives told the BBC that their office was being searched. Both Yandex and Uber in Belarus belong to the same corporation. For this reason, searches can be carried out at the offices of both companies.

Telegram channels reported that representatives of the force were heading to the headquarters of the IT company Wargaming, so the employees were evacuated from there. According to Forbes, the company itself has denied these rumors. It is announced that the employees left it at home earlier.

Lukashenko’s critics are forming chains of solidarity on Thursday

Unrecognized activists have been forming “chains of solidarity” in various parts of the capital since Thursday morning in the Belarusian presidential elections during the weekend of the victory of the autocrat Aliaksandr Lukashenko in Minsk.

Girls with flowers lined up near the subway station “Moksl metro akademija”, doctors from the local hospital formed a live chain near them, another chain was formed on Independence Avenue, the correspondent for the “Interfax” news agency reported.

According to witnesses, similar campaigns are taking place in several other districts of the capital.

The first “chain of solidarity” took place on the eve of Minsk, near the Komarov market. More than 200 women dressed in white with flowers gathered there. Then other “solidarity chains” were formed for women throughout the capital. Similar campaigns were carried out in other Belarusian cities.

“Belarusians have seen the disgusting face of this government. I argued with my husband and voted for Lukashenko. And that’s what I got: I can’t find my loved ones in prisons,” said Valentina Čailytko, 49, whose husband and son were arrested during a demonstration on Sunday. The woman said she was still unable to find any information on her whereabouts.

The protests are taking place in Belarus for the fourth day in a row. The protesters do not agree with the preliminary election results, according to which the current head of state, Lukashenko, obtained 80.08 percent. votes, and her main rival Sviatlana Cichanouskaya – 10.9 percent.

The police aggressively attacked the protesters with sticks, deafening grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets.

One person was reportedly killed during the protests and more than 100 people (including law enforcement officers) were injured. The Interior Ministry announced that more than 3,000 were detained on Monday night. people, and the next night – more than 2 thousand.

“About 700 people were arrested for participating in mass illegal events on Wednesday,” the ministry said. This means that a total of more than 6,700 people have been arrested so far.

Several Russian journalists were also arrested during the demonstrations. Anton Starkov, Dmitry Lasenka and Semion Pegov have already been released. Nikita Teliženka, a correspondent for the news portal Znak.com, and Maxim Solopov, a reporter for the independent news website Meduza, were released on Monday night.

The Interior Ministry noted that it had registered fewer cases of mass disturbances, “although the level of aggression against law enforcement officials remains high.”

A total of 103 law enforcement officers have been injured since Sunday, 28 of whom required hospitalization, the Interior Ministry said.

Drivers attacked highway police officers in Minsk and the southwestern city of Baranovichi, the ministry said.

“Law enforcement officials have used weapons to arrest offenders,” the ministry said in a statement.

Possible sanctions

The West has harshly criticized Minsk for dealing with protesters.

EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said the 27-nation bloc would review its relations with Belarus and consider imposing sanctions on “those responsible for the observed violence, unjustified detentions and falsification of election results.”

The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, for his part, stressed that the elections in Belarus were not “free and fair” and urged the government to refrain from violence against peaceful protesters.

Lukashenko called opposition figures “sheep” manipulated from abroad and vowed to take a tough stance on protesters.

“The core of these alleged protesters is made up of people with a criminal past and [tie, kas] the unemployed are currently unemployed, “- the state news agency BELTA quoted the president after Lukashenko’s meeting with security officials on Wednesday.

The Investigation Committee of Belarus has launched an investigation into the mass disturbances, a charge that carries a severe prison sentence.

The damage done to the economy by the coronavirus this year and the president’s arrogant response to a pandemic that he considers “psychosis” have sparked wider public outrage, and the ranks of the opposition have grown. For this reason, the Belarusian leader decided to resume the persecution of the dissidents.

Still, some protesters said Thursday that the crackdown would not deter them from disobedient actions.

“We are not afraid, we are not afraid,” Ala Pronič, 38, told AP.

“Arrogantly [rinkimų] counterfeiting, violence, deafening grenades used by officials, we respond with solidarity and peaceful protest. That’s all we have, “he added.

Another 700 people were arrested

In Belarus, police arrested another 700 people on the fourth day of protests, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, “some 700 people were arrested for participating in illegal mass demonstrations,” the ministry said in a statement. The total number of detainees is already 6,700.
Despite the violence used by the special forces of the militia, people took to the streets in many Belarusian cities for the fourth consecutive night, demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Dozens of people were injured and two died during the protests.

The militia admitted shooting at protesters and wounding a protester in Brest on Tuesday night.

In the capital, for the second day in a row, dozens of women dressed in white and holding flowers joined hands to form chains to condemn the violent acts of security.

More than 60 journalists were arrested

In Belarus, 64 journalists were detained during protests on August 9-12, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BJA).

On Thursday, the BAJ published statistics on detained media representatives on its Telegram channel.

According to these data, 24 journalists were arrested on August 9, 20 on August 10, 12 on August 11, and eight the day before.

Furthermore, BZA reported that Belsat journalists Ivan Muravyov and Siarhei Herasimovic were released on Monday and arrested on Monday.

The Belarusian and foreign media, including Russian and Ukrainian, are detained in Belarus.

At the time, Belarusian Interior Minister Yuriy Karayev ordered his subordinates on Wednesday not to “touch” journalists during mass protests, “unless they are between criminals and law enforcement.”

Belarusian President Liaxenko, who is loyal to President Lukashenko, said on Monday that he had won 80 percent of the vote. vote and was re-elected for another term.

The opposition says the results have been falsified, with protests in the country since August 9.

Opposition candidate Sviatlana Cichanouskaya arrived in Lithuania from Belarus on Tuesday.

Fierce protesters clashed with security forces during these demonstrations.

In total, around 6.7 thousand people have been arrested since the start of the protests. persons.

More than 60 journalists were arrested this week

In Belarus, 64 journalists were detained during protests on August 9-12, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BJA).

On Thursday, the BAJ published statistics on detained media representatives on its Telegram channel.

According to these data, 24 journalists were arrested on August 9, 20 on August 10, 12 on August 11, and eight the day before.

Furthermore, BZA reported that Belsat journalists Ivan Muravyov and Siarhei Herasimovic were released on Monday and arrested on Monday.

The Belarusian and foreign media, including Russian and Ukrainian, are detained in Belarus.

At the time, Belarusian Interior Minister Yuriy Karayev ordered his subordinates on Wednesday not to “touch” journalists during mass protests, “unless they are between criminals and law enforcement.”

Several hundred workers at the Belaz plant held a demonstration

Several hundred workers at the Belaz plant in Žodzina, Belarus, closed Thursday and gathered at the company’s central entrance to demand a vote in Žodzina, a fair presidential election in Belarus, and the withdrawal of OMON troops from the city, reported the portal tut.by.

People were also outraged that the militia used the factory buses to arrest the protesters.

Belaz is a manufacturer of quarry tippers and transport equipment for the mining and construction industry. The factory is located in Žodzina, Minsk region. It owns 30 percent. global markets for ultra high capacity quarry dump trucks. The company’s products are supplied to 80 countries around the world.

In Belarus on August 9. presidential elections were held. According to official data, the current head of state, Aliaksandr Lukashenko, collected 80.08 percent. opposition candidate Sviatlana Cichanouskaya: 10.09 percent.

Following the announcement of the voting results, massive protests broke out in Minsk and other Belarusian cities, which escalated into clashes with militants. To date, thousands of people have been arrested, many protesters have been attacked.