TALLINN, Estonia — For practically per week, the whereabouts of Belarus’ authoritarian chief Alexander Lukashenko have been a thriller.
The 68-year-old was final seen in public at a May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square, trying pale and bloated, and he skipped a celebratory breakfast within the Kremlin to fly dwelling. Later that day, he appeared at comparable occasion in his capital of Minsk to have fun the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, however then skipped different scheduled appearances for days, feeding hypothesis on social media about his well being.
On Monday, the state information company Belta reported Lukashenko inspected an air drive set up and a photograph was posted to the presidential web site displaying him standing stiffly in a navy jacket, taking a salute from an officer.
The intent of the picture was clear – to dispel rumors and studies that Lukashenko was critically ailing – though a bandage was wrapped on his left hand. On May 9 in Red Square, his proper hand was bandaged.
The man who has dominated Belarus with an iron fist for practically three many years has been a detailed ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, permitting the Kremlin to make use of his nation as a staging floor for its struggle in neighboring Ukraine, though he has stopped wanting committing his troops to the battle.
Lukashenko is the one international chief to frequently meet with Putin for the reason that invasion started in February 2022, assembly 14 instances.
PHOTOS: Photos of Belarus chief emerge after days of absences that sparked well being rumors
Their final get-together was May 9, when Lukashenko attended the Moscow parade. He sat close to Putin amid aged veterans with medals in addition to different leaders of neighboring states within the Kremlin’s effort to point out that Russia was not fully remoted amid the struggle in Ukraine.
On pictures and video, although, Lukashenko seemed drained. After the parade, he was absent from a brief stroll by the leaders of about 300 meters (yards) from Red Square to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the place they laid flowers. Media studies mentioned Lukashenko rode to the memorial on an electrical cart.
He then skipped a Putin-hosted breakfast and flew dwelling for the Victory Day ceremony in Minsk, though he didn’t make a speech for the primary time in years, delegating it to his protection minister.
Since then, he has canceled a authorities assembly on corruption after which, for the primary time in years, failed to point out at an essential state vacation – Sunday’s celebration of Flag Day. Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko learn an handle on his behalf.
Then got here Monday’s state information report on his look on the central command submit of the Belarusian air drive, though there was no rationalization of his current absences or report on his well being. A Belta picture reveals him sitting impassively at a desk within the command submit.
Government officers haven’t commented on the bizarre absence of Lukashenko, who usually seems at occasions and conferences virtually day by day, giving lengthy, flamboyant speeches. The barrel-chested chief is usually proven taking part in ice hockey or working in his vegetable backyard.
Pavel Latushka, a former authorities official turned opposition activist, cited unidentified authorities sources as saying Lukashenko is affected by a viral an infection with a complication of myocarditis – an irritation of the center muscle.
Another report by the Belarusian impartial information outlet Euroradio mentioned Lukashenko was taken to an elite clinic in Minsk, with no particulars on his situation.
Neither of these studies may very well be independently verified.
Russian lawmaker Konstantin Zatulin informed Russian media Sunday that Lukashenko “has simply fallen ill.”
“There is nothing supernatural there, it’s not COVID-19. The man has simply fallen ill,” Zatulin was quoted by information retailers as saying. “Despite the fact that the man fell ill, he considered it his duty to come to Moscow (on May 9), and that same evening he was holding events in Minsk. He probably needs some rest, and that’s it,” Zatulin mentioned.
Asked Monday about Lukashenko‘s health before the Belta news agency’s dispatch, spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged reporters to “focus on official reports.”
“There has been no official reports from Minsk. And we believe that it’s very important to focus on official information,” Peskov mentioned.
Lukashenko, a former collective farm director, has led Belarus since 1994, stifling any dissent with brutal repressions. The nation’s Soviet-style financial system for many years has relied closely on low cost Russian vitality and loans Moscow generously granted a number of instances.
In August 2020, after he received a sixth consecutive time period in an election that was extensively denounced as rigged, there have been months of unprecedented protests within the nation. The authorities responded with a violent crackdown, arresting over 35,000 individuals, with hundreds overwhelmed whereas in custody. Scores of impartial media organizations and rights teams have been shut down, activists fled the nation, and Lukashenko’s authorities was hit with crippling sanctions by the U.S. and the European Union.
Putin supported Lukashenko in suppressing the demonstrations, and in return, the Belarusian chief threw his weight behind Moscow‘s invasion of Ukraine.
Opposition figures and analysts warn {that a} severe sickness involving Lukashenko might destabilize Belarus.
Exiled opposition chief Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned that “in countries where dictatorship reigns, the entire system starts to collapse when a leader disappears.”
“There are many different rumors about the health of dictator Lukashenko, and for us it means only one thing – we need to be well-prepared for any scenario,” Tsikhanouskaya informed The Associated Press in written feedback Monday.
Independent political analyst Valery Karbalevich mentioned that “hiding information about the health of the leader doesn’t calm the situation down. It instead kicks off an avalanche of rumors and diagnoses – from poisoning to cancer.”
“Lukashneko is getting old and starts to get sick, and for a personalist regime, it becomes a serious factor for destabilizing the entire system, which begins to shudder and crumble,” Karbalevich mentioned.
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