2023-05-16 09:50:02
(Agence France-Presse, Moscow, 15th) It was reported that four planes were shot down over southern Russia. Belarusian strongman President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday that troops had been ordered to increase alert.
Agence France-Presse reported that the 68-year-old Lukashenko inspected the Central Command of the Belarusian Air Force. It was previously reported that he was suspected of being seriously ill and hadn’t appeared in public for nearly a week, and he only appeared in front of the public again today.
Lukashenko was dressed in military uniform with a serious expression and bandages on his hands.
He said the Belarusian army was ordered to raise its alert for three days after a plane was shot down along the border between southern Russia and Ukraine.
“It has been three days since the incident happened not far from our country, I mean the incident in which four planes were shot down in the Bryansk region (in Russia),” he said, adding: “We have to do something. reaction”.
On the 13th of this month, videos of several Russian planes crashing in the Buyansk region were circulated on Russian social media. In one segment, a helicopter appeared to be hit and set on fire.
The Russian Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the incident, while Buyansk region governor Alexander Bogomaz said a helicopter had indeed crashed in Klintsy.
However, according to Vladimir Rogov, an official supported by Russia in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, a total of 4 Russian planes were shot down, namely 2 MI-8 helicopters and 1 Sukai 35 fighter jet ( SU-35) and 1 Sukai 34 (SU-34) fighter-bomber.
Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, was last seen in Moscow on the 9th of this month to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory over the Nazis on Victory Day (Victory Day). He missed a luncheon and several other events hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called on the Belarusian people to prepare on Twitter, saying: “This means only one thing for us: we should be prepared for every possible situation. Get ready. Turn Belarus on a democratic path and prevent Russian meddling. We need the international community to be proactive, and fast.”
Tikhanovskaya fled to neighboring Lithuania after mass anti-government protests in 2020.
A spokesman for Lukashenko declined to comment on the fact that he has not been seen in public for several days.
Lukashenko last year allowed Moscow to deploy on Belarusian territory to facilitate an invasion of Ukraine.
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