Lukashenko Reveals Truth about How Exiles Prepared Protests in Warsaw for Election Day

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, responding to journalists' questions on January 26 in Minsk, accused a representative of Western media of lying and revealed the truth about how exiles prepared protests in Warsaw for election day, as BELTA reported.

A journalist from Agence France-Presse began talking about a massive rally taking place in Warsaw. However, Alexander Lukashenko countered that this event was not as massive as Western media tried to portray it, with only a few dozen people, not thousands. "Don't make people laugh. I know how this rally was prepared. There is no rally because funding was suspended (by the USA after the new President took office - BELTA), Trump did not give the money," said the President.

He pointed out that Western media journalists have been repeatedly caught being biased and can present images of street actions where the number of participants is significantly exaggerated, as was the case in Minsk in 2020. "Everything you said (about the thousands-strong rally in Warsaw and the motivation of people to attend it - BELTA) is a lie," emphasized the President.

The head of state shared that he received information from competent authorities about how this action was prepared in the neighboring capital and that there was a whole fight: some said it would not be possible to gather even a thousand people, so it was not worth gathering, while others insisted.

According to Alexander Lukashenko, he instructed the relevant services to identify the participants of the action who have ties to Belarus. "We hinted that their relatives, parents, family, and close ones live here. You are just putting your people at risk. And we will deal with you," said the head of state. "They (potential participants - BELTA) reacted to this: 'If you are fools, go ahead. But we won't go. We don't want our relatives to be put at risk (they live in Belarus), and we ourselves want to return to the country someday. Maybe under this President.'"

Another question from the representative of this French news agency concerned the start of the armed conflict in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the movement of Russian troops. According to the President, the journalist's opinion on this matter can be called amateurish. Alexander Lukashenko once again explained: "These were not Belarusian troops. I am responsible for Belarusian troops. And if you think that I sit in the Russian General Staff and draw the movement of Russian armed forces on the map, listen, then you are an amateur. These are things that are done in silence and by a minimal number of people. Without foreign interference, without foreigners."

The head of state emphasized that he does not regret his decisions during that period in 2022 because the main thing is that Belarus was not drawn into the war.