Belarus president closes some borders and puts army on alert

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (BelTA Pool Photo via AP)

Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko, beleaguered by six weeks of mass protests demanding his resignation, on Thursday announced he was putting troops on high alert and closing the country’s borders with Poland and Lithuania.

President Alexander Lukashenko’s decision underlines his repeated claim that the wave of protests is driven by the West.