The Belarusian president accuses Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of training armed “extremist” groups to infiltrate the country

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ©  Sputnik / Ilya Pitalev

Western countries along with Ukraine are preparing a coup in Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed. He insisted that Minsk’s security forces are prepared for the threat, and will not let such a scenario materialize.

Speaking on Thursday at a meeting of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) security chiefs, Lukashenko said a “violent regime change is being prepared” in Belarus.

He went on to allege that “in Poland, Lithuania and, unfortunately Ukraine, illegal members of armed groups are being trained.” The operatives, according to Lukashenko, intend to create “sleeping extremist cells” in Belarus.

The president cited recent joint operations with Russian security forces, during which explosives were allegedly seized.

 

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“This fact means that they won’t leave us alone,” he predicted.

Lukashenko claimed that Belarusian citizens opposed to his government are fighting for Ukraine and gaining combat experience there.

He alleged that unlike the protests of 2020, the West is now urging the country’s opposition to engage in acts of armed violence, and is funding such activities.

Lukashenko warned other CIS member states that they may encounter similar threats in future, and called for greater security cooperation.

Appearing on Poland’s Polsat TV channel late last month, retired general Waldemar Skrzypczak called on authorities in Warsaw to “prepare for an uprising in Belarus,” insisting that “it will happen.”

“We must be ready to support the troops that will carry out the operation against Lukashenko. We have reasons to help them, just as we help Ukraine,” the general, who was formerly Poland’s deputy defense minister for armaments, argued.

Commenting on the general’s remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia has an obligation to ensure the security of Belarus, “which we will do in the face of such obvious threats.”