Russia vows military help to Belarus as NATO warns against meddling

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed military support for embattled Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, while urging a peaceful resolution to unrest and demonstrations that erupted after a disputed election.

Putin on Thursday said Russia has set up a reserve group of law enforcement officers to deploy if the post-vote situation deteriorated.

"It won't be used unless the situation starts to get out of control," Putin said, unless "extremist elements ... begin setting fire to cars, houses and banks, begin seizing administrative buildings."

But Putin also called on the authorities in Minsk and the opposition to "find a way out" of the crisis peacefully.

He conceded there were problems in Belarus, saying, "otherwise people wouldn't take to the streets."

The NATO chief immediately warned Moscow against meddling in the crisis.

EU denounces curbs

The Belarusian strongman's relationship with Putin had soured ahead of the August 9 ballot because Minsk refused closer integration with Russia – and even claimed Moscow had sent mercenaries across the border to organise riots.

The Russian leader's calls for calm came after the European Union and ambassadors of member states in Minsk condemned a crackdown on the opposition in the wake of the presidential poll, in which 65-year-old Lukashenko claimed a landslide reelection with some 80 percent of the vote.

NATO against Russia intervention

Immediately after Putin's remarks, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called on Moscow not to meddle in the crisis.

"Belarus is a sovereign and independent state. And nobody, including Russia, should interfere there," Stoltenberg told German media.

'Unacceptable' prosecution 

The opposition created a Coordination Council to oversee the peaceful transition of power after their leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to neighbouring Lithuania fearing reprisals.

Lukashenko ordered a criminal probe into the opposition's attempts to "seize power" and several of the presidium's members have been detained or summoned for questioning.

Maria Kolesnikova, an aide of Tikhanovskaya and member of the council, was summoned by investigators for questioning on Thursday. She said she invoked her right not to testify against herself.

The group's most prominent member, Nobel Prize-winning author and outspoken government critic Svetlana Alexievich, was questioned by investigators on Wednesday and also refused to answer questions.

Two of the presidium's members this week were sentenced to 10 days each in police detention for organising unsanctioned rallies and disobeying law enforcement orders.

'Open dialogue'

"The European diplomats emphasised that prosecution of Coordination Council members on grounds presented by the authorities is unacceptable," a joint statement said.

EU nations have also vowed to sanction individuals they say were involved in vote-rigging and the violent crackdown on protesters.

The EU ambassadors in Minsk on Thursday said, "Belarusians are asking for an open dialogue with their own authorities about the future o f their country," urging "a peaceful and democratic process, underpinned by independent and free media and a strong civil society."

'Diplomatic war' 

Lukashenko has dismissed calls to resign or host new elections, instead accusing Western countries and Russia of stirring political unrest.

The authoritarian leader on Thursday said the ex-Soviet country's European neighbours had declared a "diplomatic war" and were meddling in Belarus's internal affairs.

Last week he described demonstrators as "rats" in a video that showed him carrying an assault rifle, after more than 100,000 people took to the streets to demand he stand down.

His notorious security services rounded up nearly 7,000 participants in peaceful rallies that erupted in the days after the vote, and hundreds of detainees claimed they were abused by police in custody.

Local and international rights groups have urged the UN to investigate allegations of systematic torture at the hands of security services.

Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old political newcomer who ran in place of her jailed husband, called for historic demonstrations and mass strikes following the election.

Workers at state-owned factories initially downed tools and joined the walk-outs in large numbers, but fewer employees have kept up participation due to pressure from the authorities, activists have said.

Industry Minister Pyotr Parkhomchik said on Thursday that there were no ongoing strikes and that "all assembly lines have been restarted."

In the meantime, according to a Reuters witness, Belarusian police detained around 20 journalists preparing to cover a protest in central Minsk on Thursday and confiscated their telephones and identity documents.

READ MORE: Lukashenko orders Belarus army 'to protect territorial integrity'