Workers of the Minsk Tractor Works Plant carry an old Belarusian national flag as they march demanding authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to resign, Monday. “I will never cave in to pressure,” Lukashenko told the workers, saying those who intend to go on strike could leave if they want. As he spoke, over 5,000 striking workers from the Minsk Tractor Plant marched down the streets of the city, demanding that Lukashenko cede his post to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leading opposition candidate. He claimed that NATO nations are beefing up military forces on the border with Belarus, a claim the alliance rejected. Lithuania also warned about worrying signs that Russia might be planning to use the situation to take over Belarus.

Source: The Standard August 17, 2020 12:33 UTC