“Given that the West, despite huge financial expenditures and comprehensive support for Kiev’s regime, was unable to change the course of the special military operation in Ukraine, we predict that it will now focus on destabilizing the internal situation in the Union State,” the former defense minister said in an interview with TASS.
Shoigu added that the West is applying all proactive measures, both at the national level and as a whole, and stressed that attempts to interfere in a very diverse nature in the internal affairs of Moscow and Minsk by hostile countries “are recorded regularly.
“There is direct subversive activity on the part of foreign special services, and attempts to alter the situation from within do not stop, especially on the eve of the presidential elections in Belarus,” he said, stressing that the West is using various media outlets, non-governmental organizations, and foundations for this purpose.
Destructive ideology is also being deliberately disseminated, “separatist demonstrations are being encouraged, attempts to stimulate negative social processes and incite protest sentiments continue,” the official summed up.
The head of the Belarusian Central Election Commission, Igor Karpenko, on Thursday denounced a resolution passed by the European Parliament calling for the election results to be disavowed, which, according to the authority, constitutes direct interference in the electoral sovereignty of the Republic.
Early voting for the presidential elections is ongoing in Belarus from January 21st to 25th, while the elections will be on January 26th.
The Central Election Commission registered five presidential candidates: the incumbent head of state, Alexander Lukashenko; the Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Oleg Gaidukevich; the leader of the Republican Party of Labour and Justice Alexander Jizhniak; the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party Sergei Sirankov; and former 2020 presidential candidate and non-party businesswoman Anna Konopatskaya.
jrr/llp/npg/odf