Military protects presidential palace in Minsk (raw)…

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‘Happy birthday, you rat’ — Belarus protesters target Lukashenko despite military threat

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Minsk today in opposition to Alexander Lukashenko, who received a congratulatory phone call from Russian president Vladimir Putin, who extended him an invitation to visit Moscow – a sign of the Kremlin’s support for the Belarusian leader amid the threat of Western sanctions.

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