Belarus headed for election confrontation as Lukashenko cracks down on opponents

Coronavirus, the economy and the passage of time are undermining longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko’s popularity – but he shows no sign of weakening his grip on power, writes Oliver Carroll

Minsk police detain a protester during a rally against the removal of opposition candidates from the presidential elections (AP)

Sergei Kadomsky was one of the first to be detained – yanked from his electric unicycle by a group of plainclothes officers in central Minsk just after 7pm local time.

“They kept us for hours standing against a wall with our backs turned,” Mr Kadomsky, 38, tells The Independent. “A lot of people were finding it difficult to stay standing.”

The internet activist was one of thousands who defied police orders to stay at home on Tuesday, as the Belarusian capital erupted in protest following a decision not to register two leading opposition candidates in August’s presidential elections.