MINSK: Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday accused Russia and Poland of interfering in an upcoming presidential election, claims that were quickly denied by the Kremlin.
The strongman leader of authoritarian ex-Soviet state is seeking his sixth term as president in the election scheduled for August 9. The interference is coming from "those who live in Poland and those who incite from Russia," Lukashenko said at a meeting with newly appointed government officials.
Lukashenko said he would discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in the near future but cautioned that the situation remained "extremely difficult".
Many of Lukashenko's critics have been jailed in recent weeks and opposition figures who enjoy robust support from the public have fought hard to get on the ballot, observers say.
Lukashenko, who just Wednesday was in Moscow, said there are "horrific fakes" being spread about him, some in Russian anonymous social media accounts.
"It's not ours, the information is coming from Russia," he said.
"There are the most modern false technologies being used, there is interference from abroad into our elections, our domestic affairs."
The Belarusian interior ministry later accused "Telegram channels" of orchestrating protests.
Several bloggers have been arrested in Belarus, starting with former presidential hopeful Sergei Tikhanovsky, who has been charged with hurting a police officer and arrested in May.
On Thursday, popular opposition Telegram channel Belarus of the Brain, which has about 170 thousand followers, said police has detained one of its authors Igor Losik and was searching his flat.
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