Belarus: Putin to create police ‘reserve’ for embattled Lukashenko – but can we really expect Russian troops in Minsk?

Russia’s president is known for showing his teeth but a military intervention would appear to go against the wishes of the majority in both countries, as Oliver Carroll reports from Minsk

Embattled autocrat Alexander Lukashenko looks to Vladimir Putin for help (AP)

Vladimir Putin set out a clear path to Russian military action in Belarus for the first time on Thursday, announcing that he had agreed to assemble a “law enforcement reserve” at the request of the country’s embattled autocrat Alexander Lukashenko.

Such forces, used only if the situation went “out of control”, would be provided under the terms of a joint security treaty, Mr Putin said.

The carefully choreographed comments – delivered in a 20-minute interview on Russian state television – will provide a huge comfort to Mr Lukashenko and his allies. They will also have alarmed the overwhelming majority of Belarusians who have for the last three weeks bravely protested the violent excesses that followed a blatantly stolen election.