Interior minister tells police chiefs to prevent destabilization in run-up to elections

December 1, Pozirk. The upcoming parliamentary and local elections must in no way destabilize Belarus, Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakoŭ has told the ministry’s board.

“We must be ready to act under special conditions,” the ministry’s press office quoted him as saying.

Juryj Nazaranka, the official in charge of public order, said that polling stations will be equipped with video surveillance and alarm systems and guarded by police officers 24/7.

Additional patrols and “rapid response groups” will maintain law and order in Minsk and other cities.

Earlier this week, Minsk police and oth­er secu­ri­ty forces held an anti-riot exer­cise at the Lip­ki air­field.

In 2023, the inte­ri­or min­istry has orga­nized nine spe­cial operations units based in the Min­sk, Brest, Hrod­na and Homiel regions.

Ear­li­er reports sug­gest that the min­istry employed Rus­si­a’s Wag­n­er Group fight­ers as mil­i­tary instruc­tors.

Police showed unprecedented brutality in response to mass protests against vote rigging in the 2020 presidential election. Politically-motivated reprisals are still in full swing.

The Belarusian government plans to hold elections for the National Assembly’s lower house and local councils on February 25.

Not a single election held in Belarus since 1996 was up to standard for democratic, free and fair elections, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.