As health concerns about Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko grew, a state news agency published a photo of him.
The image showed Alexander with a bandage on his left hand and was published on the Pul Pervovo Telegram channel, a news source covering his activities. The president was reportedly working at a military command centre.
At a yearly event where young people vow loyalty to the flag on Sunday, Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko read a greeting from 68-year-old Alexander , according to the state-run BeLTA news agency.
Alexander was transferred to a prestigious Minsk facility on Saturday, according to the opposition news source Euroradio.
Konstantin Zatulin, a prominent member of the Duma lower house of parliament, was reported by the Russian online journal Podyom as saying that “[Alexander] has simply fallen ill… and probably needs a rest.”
The last time the public saw Alexander was on Tuesday in Moscow for Russia’s annual Victory Day celebrations. Then, rumours started to spread after it was said that he appeared exhausted and unstable while skipping a luncheon given by President Vladimir Putin.
Belarus’s Lukashenko
Additionally, the president of Belarus avoided speaking at a ceremony in Minsk held to commemorate the day he assumed office.
The Kremlin stated on Monday that Minsk has not made any public statements on Alexander health. It advised using the official pronouncements of the Belarusian government as a guide.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Alexander reliance on Russian oil and credit has increased.
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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of the Belarusian opposition, advised her followers to be ready for “every scenario” in response to the mounting concerns over Alexander health.
She stated on Twitter that there were several reports regarding the tyrant Alexander health. It only implies one thing to us: we need to be ready for anything. to move Belarus towards democracy and stop Russian interference. The international community must act quickly and pro-actively.
There are many rumors about the dictator Lukashenka's health. For us, it means only one thing: we should be well prepared for every scenario. To turn Belarus on the path to democracy & to prevent Russia from interfering. We need the international community to be proactive & fast. pic.twitter.com/qfnsnPYBMZ
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) May 15, 2023
Tsikhanouskaya’s advisor Franak Viacorka stated on Sunday that the opposition was putting up a coordinated action strategy “with democratic forces” for “when something happens.”
According to the Belarusian constitution, if Lukashenko is unable to lead, the speaker of the upper house of parliament will take over as acting president until elections can be conducted.
Natalya Kochanova, who served as Alexander previous chief of staff and is considered as a hardliner and loyalist, is the current speaker.
Since taking power in Belarus in 1994, Alexander has used his authority to quell demonstrations and sentence critics to harsh prison terms.