The downpour that began in Minsk forced part of the protesters who had gathered on Pobediteley Avenue near the security forces’ barriers behind which the residence of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is located, to retreat. The departed citizens are replaced by new ones, an Izvestia correspondent reported on September 6 from the scene.
Retreating protesters retreated to nearby hotels and hid from the downpour at public transport and vehicle stops.
From time to time from buildings through loudspeakers calls are heard for the protesters to disperse, the crowd does not respond to them.
Over the past hours, the crowd stood face to face with Belarusian law enforcement officers guarding the approaches to Lukashenka’s residence. The crowd took no action. The security forces behind the fences did not interfere in any way in what was happening.
The number of participants in the unauthorized opposition march in Minsk exceeded 100 thousand people. Against the backdrop of protests on Sunday, the central metro stations of the Belarusian capital were closed, and mobile operators restricted access to the Internet.
Mass protests have not subsided in Belarus after the presidential elections were held in the country on August 9. According to the CEC, the current head of state, Alexander Lukashenko, won 80.08% of the vote and became president for the sixth time in a row. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was supported by 10.09% of voters.