President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko was photographed with a machine gun in his hands at his residence – the Palace of Independence in Minsk on Sunday, August 30. The photo was published by RIA Novosti, having received it from the press secretary of the Belarusian leader Natalia Eismont.
Thus, the press secretary answered the question about where the head of state is and whether he is following the situation in the Belarusian capital, where an unauthorized protest action took place on Sunday against the results of the presidential elections held on August 9.
According to Eismont, the photo was taken around 4:00 pm. At this time, a crowd of protesters gathered at the Palace of Independence, and Lukashenka was also there. At the same time, the agency’s correspondent reported that on August 30, during the protests, four armored personnel carriers arrived at the residence.
Earlier on the same day, the demonstrators once again gathered for a rally. In response, the authorities transferred servicemen of the internal troops to the city and pulled armored personnel carriers to Lukashenka’s residence.
Later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus explained such an increase in combat vehicles by means of security measures for personnel at unauthorized mass events.
Protests continue in Belarus after the August 9 presidential elections. According to the Central Election Commission, Lukashenka became the winner. People who disagree with the voting results took to the streets of different cities of the country.