MINSK, February 8. /TASS/. Those who conspired to stage a coup in Belarus in 2020 will once again seek "to stir people up," the country’s President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday.
"There were plans to stage a color revolution in the heart of Europe but what they got was a failed mutiny. <...> A lot of money had been poured into this failed attempt," Lukashenko said, as cited by the BelTA news agency.
He pointed out that according to Minsk’s estimates, "what could be recorded stands at over $6 bln." "That’s a sky-high sum of money for Belarus," Lukashenko pointed out. "Those who failed to work [that amount] off will once again try to stir people up. Which is what they are already doing," he stressed.
The president stressed that Belarus would keep facing pressure in various fields and did not rule out that provocations would be staged to expose the country to additional sanctions. "It has already begun, with helicopters, drones, shots being fired at our border signs and breaches of our border," Lukashenko specified. "The previously proclaimed temporary arrival of NATO troops in Europe, has turned into a permanent presence and the number of troops keeps growing," he emphasized.
Lukashenko delivered an address to the country’s parliament and people on January 28, saying that Western countries had shelled out over $6 bln on destroying Belarus during the 2020 presidential elections. According to him, apart from financing activities, the West was also involved in an ideological proliferation, promoting "the so-called democratic values" through various education programs. The leader also noted that "a network of certain media outlets, Telegram channels and bloggers" had been created in Belarus.