President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko ordered to transfer an airborne brigade from Vitebsk to Grodno due to the tense situation on the western borders. This was announced on Saturday, August 15, by the Belarus 1 TV channel.
The head of state, in particular, expressed concern about the exercises of NATO forces in Poland and Lithuania, speaking at a meeting at the Strategic Management Center of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic.
“Therefore, I will ask additionally, since the tense situation on the western borders, to transfer an airborne brigade from Vitebsk to Grodno,” the head of state said.
Earlier on the same day, Lukashenka instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB, the Ministry of Defense and the Prosecutor General’s Office to assess the situation in the republic and “categorically prevent” illegal actions.
Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in the republic with Lukashenko during a telephone conversation. Both sides expressed confidence in an early resolution of the problems.
Mass protests in Belarus began on August 9 after citizens refused to recognize the official election results. The people who took to the streets faced opposition from the security forces, there were injuries on both sides, one civilian was killed.
After brutal attacks by security officials on peaceful protesters, a number of Belarusian enterprises went on strike demanding the cancellation of the voting results.
EU countries announced the introduction of personal sanctions against Belarus due to human rights violations.