Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Michael Howie

Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko fails to appear at ceremony sparking speculation about his health

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko failed to appear at a major state ceremony in the capital Minsk on Sunday, triggering speculation that the veteran leader is seriously ill.

The BelTA state news agency reported that Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko read a message from Mr Lukashenko during an annual ceremony at which young people swear allegiance to the ex-Soviet state’s flag.

The agency gave no reason for Mr Lukashenko’s absence five days after he appeared unwell and skipped parts of commemorations in Moscow marking the Soviet Union’s World War Two victory over Germany.

Mr Lukashenko also did not speak at an event in Minsk marking the anniversary for the first time in his long presidency. That event was the last time he was seen in public.

Mr Lukashenko’s office has declined to comment.

According to the opposition news outlet Euroradio, Mr Lukashenko was taken to an elite Minsk clinic on Saturday.

A Russian online publication, Podyom, quoted a senior member of the Duma lower house of parliament, Konstantin Zatulin, as saying that “(Lukashenko) has simply fallen ill ... and probably needs a rest.”

Russia’s daily Kommersant also published a story about Mr Lukashenko’s health, citing Zatulin and Belarusian opposition media. Russian media rarely publish stories about the health of the leaders of Russia or its allied neighbours.

Mr Lukashenko, 68, has led Belarus since 1994, using police to put down protests, while courts closed dissident media outlets and imposed long jail terms on opponents, and activists fled the country en masse.

Mr Lukashenko received backing from Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in squashing protests, and last year he allowed his country’s territory to be used as part of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Belarus’s foreign minister Sergei Aleinik is expected on Monday to start this three-day visit to Moscow, Russia’s foreign ministry said last week.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.