Belarus: Lukashenko resurfaced in public

After days of speculation about his health, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko reappeared at an appointment with the military. State television in Minsk showed the 68-year-old in a military green uniform on Monday. Previously there had been reports of an illness and an alleged hospital stay for the politician, who had disappeared from the scene for days.

“Let’s look at what is happening around our country, especially in the air,” Lukashenko said. He then went directly into shooting downs of helicopters and planes in the Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine and Belarus, which had not even been confirmed by the Russian leadership. The events in the Russian region on Saturday put Belarus on heightened alert, Lukashenko said.

“Four planes were shot down. We had to react to that. Since then we have been on increased preparedness,” he said. So far, the Russian authorities had only confirmed the “crash” of a helicopter, but did not give any details. On the other hand, Russian media reported that two Su-34 and Su-35 Sukhoi fighter jets and two Mi-8 helicopters had been shot down with rockets.

Lukashenko, who supports Russia in the war against Ukraine, said the jets and helicopters were shot down. On the other hand, the Ukrainian air force denied responsibility on Sunday, claiming that the Russian anti-aircraft defense system shot down its technology. Three and not just two helicopters were also brought down from the sky. According to information from Kiev, the fighter jets should be used for new attacks against Ukraine.

At least nine people are said to have been killed in the crashes. There was no official information on this. The Russian Ministry of Defence, which also launches its attacks on Ukraine from the area, has not commented either.