“What do you want? Freedom? ": Lukashenko performed at the rally in his support

For the first time in eight days of protest, Alexander Lukashenko personally spoke to the people. He turned to the rally gathered in his support in the center of Minsk.

On Sunday, at about 13:00 in the center of Minsk on Independence Square, a rally began, organized by the pro -government movement “White Rus'”. A few hours before, independent media and telegram channels reported that state employees and employees of state-owned enterprises are being brought to the rally on the rally. According to the correspondent of RBC, a couple of thousand people gathered at the rally by its beginning. Alexander Lukashenko decided to speak at the event personally.

“I want to turn to those who are lost today, who is disoriented: what do you want now? Freedom? What? Changes? What, what will we change? Want reforms? Tell me, let's start tomorrow, ”Lukashenko began.

In protests in the country, he traditionally accused external forces, but this time he said nothing about the alleged threat from Russia. “Someone wants new elections. Look outside the window! NATO troops clang out caterpillars near our borders. Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine are ordered to hold new elections to us. If we follow them, we will go to the corkscrew and never stabilize our aircraft. We will die as a nation, ”Lukashenko announced.

Shortly before the rally, Lukashenko for the second time in the weekend phoned Vladimir Putin. The parties confirmed the readiness in case of exacerbation to react together in the framework of the CSTO, the BelTA agency reported. The CSTO spokeswoman Vladimir Zaynetdinov said on Sunday morning that this is that Belarus could turn to the CSTO in the event of an external threat to the defense of the country, but so far no appeals have been received from the country.

Lukashenko made it clear in his speech that he was still opposed to repeated elections (“Belarus will die as a state if he agrees to hold repeated presidential elections”). He calls his election legitimate. “There can be no more than 80% of falsifications, it cannot be,” Lukashenko shouted from the rostrum. - Who will go to new elections? Bandits! And who will work? ”

“Remember: ruin - not Lukashenko - but the first president, and this will be the beginning of your end. You will be on your knees. You will be poor and walk with an outstretched hand, ”he warned. Lukashenko also announced that the authorities were not interested in violence, accusing the opposition of this.

The performance lasted about 30 minutes. In the end, Lukashenko emotionally announced that he was standing to his knees (“you deserved it”), went out from behind the stands in the middle of the stage, but did not stand on his knees, but said goodbye and went into the government’s house, accompanied by his son Nikolai.

At the same moment, the procession under the slogan “For Freedom” moves to the Independence Square - it is assumed that this will be the most large -scale performance in Minsk of the opponents of Lukashenko for all eight days of protests.