Putin’s Top Ally Accuses Russia of Coup Plot as Vote Nears
- Belarus says detained mercenaries planned terrorist acts
- President Lukashenko faces unprecedented challenge to his rule
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Belarus stepped up accusations against Russia of plotting to thwart longtime President Alexander Lukashenko’s re-election next month, saying 33 detained Russian mercenaries had been planning terrorist acts.
Almost 170 Russian militants remain at large in Belarus, the head of the country’s Security Council Andrei Ravkov told reporters after a meeting Thursday with presidential candidates in the capital Minsk. Two other groups may be preparing to enter Belarus from Russia, Ravkov told the participants, according to one of them, Andrei Dmitriev.