Russia Prepared to Deploy Security Forces for Upcoming Presidential Elections in Belarus

Belarus has scheduled new presidential elections for January 26, 2025, and Russian Federation is prepared to send security forces in the event of protests.

This was reported by BelTA.

The Central Election Commission of Belarus is ready to begin the electoral campaign. Oleksander Lukashenko, who has held power since 1994, announced back in February his intention to run for a seventh term.

According to Russia's ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, quoted by The Moscow Times, in the event of "attempts at destabilization" during the elections, Russia will "certainly provide 'assistance' and 'support' within its obligations."

"The head of the Belarusian state and leaders of the security forces have warned about possible actions of this kind ahead of the elections. This indicates that law enforcement agencies in Belarus are well aware of the preparations for provocations. Being informed means being ready," he said.

Protests in Belarus, which lasted from 2020 to 2021, represented one of the largest waves of civil discontent in the country's history. They began following the presidential elections on August 9, 2020, where official results claimed Lukashenko won with over 80% of the vote. However, a significant portion of the public and international observers questioned these results, accusing the authorities of widespread fraud.

The protests were met with violent repression by security forces, leading to a wave of international outrage. Numerous reports documented cases of violence, mass arrests, and torture of detainees.