Like on August 9, the toughest clashes between rioters and law enforcement officers began with darkness. Last night, extremely aggressive people came out into the city, tried to walk into the city center, were stopped and around 23:00 began building barricades on Prytytsky Street. One of the protesters tried to throw an unidentified explosive device to the police, and it exploded in the man's hand. The injuries proved to be incompatible with life.
There were several violent clashes in other parts of Minsk as well. There, the protesters also threw petrol bombs, pieces of flagstone and fireworks at police officers.
The order guards did everything possible to subdue aggressive people. There were no casualties on one side or the other. As a result, 21 officers of the internal affairs were injured, 5 of them were hospitalized.
In Pinsk an aggressive crowd attacked law enforcement officers using rods, stones and fittings. After this "peaceful" protest, several officers were hospitalized.
Alexander Deshko, deputy chief physician of the Pinsk Central Hospital: "On the night of August 9-10, 8 internal affairs officers with various injuries were admitted to our hospital. All 8 officers are hospitalized, their condition is assessed as satisfactory."
All the injured protesters also receive full assistance. According to the Ministry of Health, they have more than 200 such people under treatment.
Another place where the riots took place the day before was the square in front of the shopping center "Riga". Here the protesters went out onto the roadway and began erecting barricades. The picture is familiar: this is how the Ukrainian Maidan started, which ended in a real tragedy for this country. Another mandatory lethal point of revolutionary methods was executed in Minsk. The protesters began to actively use petrol bombs on the streets of the capital following the recommendations of their governing telegram channels.
Mass riots last night were also held in other cities of Belarus. This is a video from Brest. The protesters got into a so-called clutch and tried to surround a unit of law enforcement officers.
The scenario was about the same in all cases. The organizers set the time and place, the coordinators instigated the protesters up for provocations and gave commands on the spot, then the barricades were erected, after which the law enforcers started throwing petrol bombs, stones and paving tiles.
Apart from the coordinators, of course, there are also performers, who, in fact, work at the core of the protest. In Ukrainian Maidan they were called centurions. They are the ones who give orders, manage the crowd.
A police officer: "They believe it's a peaceful protest, but unfortunately they throw stones, bottles, petrol bombs at the police officers, press people with cars."
A police officer: "I did not expect this. It was just a shame to realize that a minor guy and a girl were standing there and throwing a bottle at me. They'll outgrow it, because everything comes with experience. It is very important to me that my wife and child could walk the street calmly without fear of a bottle thrown at them."
More than two thousand people were detained in just 24 hours across the country, the Interior Ministry said. There's no doubt that their actions are being legally assessed. At the same time, residents of a number of cities have reported in recent days that in their settlements there is an unusually large concentration of cars with Russian plates, young people with a clearly Ukrainian accent. The fact that foreign citizens are directly involved in the riots was confirmed a little later by the footage provided by law enforcement agencies. Among the detainees, for example, there are many Russian citizens.
Another trend that cannot be overlooked. Among the participants in the riots, there are many individuals with rich criminal backgrounds. They are at the head of street riots, dragging very young people into illegal activities, they are easily influenced and quickly brought into a highly aggressive state. Moreover, law enforcers and doctors alike claim in unison that a significant proportion of the detainees were under the influence of alcohol and even drugs. There is information (it is being verified) that psychotropic substances are being brought directly to the place of protest.
Yuri Terekh, publicist, businessman: "They were prepared very early, all this was prepared since autumn, since the parliamentary elections. What we have seen now is actually less than what was planned. It was calculated for specific candidates. The icebreaker of the whole process was Tikhanovsky, he began to rock all the moods. It happened that they were already finishing work with the candidates who remained, and it turned out to be much weaker than it was originally intended".
The Investigative Committee once again urged citizens not to give in to provocations of the riot organizers. Sanctions under some articles provide for up to 15 years in prison. In addition, the committee drew attention to the fact that the cars used to block transport in cities, are tools of crime. These vehicles will be confiscated from their owners and recognized as physical evidence.
The IC has already initiated 21 criminal cases of rioting and violence against police officers at night from 9 to 10 August in Minsk and other cities of the country. Over 80 people have been detained on suspicion of committing crimes. Most of them are young people aged 20-25 years.
Sergei Rachkov, Chairman of the Standing Commission of the Council of the National Assembly of Belarus: "Mass riots. Everyone understands that these mass riots are organized both from the outside and by the forces inside, which would like to change the state system of the Republic of Belarus. It is impossible to give in to these provocations. One should keep in mind the future, that we have a peaceful and calm country. We all have children who want to get education and live in a civilized modern country."
Sergei Klishevich, deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus: "I want to urge our ordinary citizens not to give in to these provocations, if they want to problems, let's sit down to discuss. We will not keep our country that way. Accordingly, we will not preserve the future of our children".
Meanwhile, it became known that ex-candidate to the presidency Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has left the borders of Belarus through the checkpoint "Katlovka" at 3:30 am. She is in Lithuania now. Even on the night after the elections Tikhanovskaya started receiving threats, and the State Security Committee allocated 120 employees to protect her joint headquarters. Hers safe travel outside the country was also organized by the Belarusian authorities. And today Tikhanovskaya's appeal appeared in the Internet, calling not to oppose the police and not to go out to the streets.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: "Dear citizens of the Republic of Belarus. I, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, thank you for participating in the presidential election. The people of Belarus made their choice. I address with gratitude and warmth to all the citizens who supported me all this time. Belarusians! I appeal to you for prudence and respect for the law. I do not want blood and violence. I ask you not to stand up to the police, not to go out to the streets, not to put your lives in danger. Take care of yourself and your loved ones."
Almost everyone is calling for prudence now. These are no longer peaceful actions, and they are not led by the political forces that were visible during the elections. They have moved away, as predicted. Radicals driven from abroad have taken the stage, and there is no doubt that the strictest accountability measures will be applied to them.
