Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Belarus’s leader Alexander Lukashenko is reportedly in hospital after struggling last week during a visit to Moscow and skipping lunch with Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko, 68, missed a national event on Sunday to celebrate the flag, emblem and anthem of Belarus, during which his prime minister read on his behalf a message of good wishes for his compatriots. Last week, Lukashenko cut short his participation in the Victory Day events held in Moscow …. Lukashenko was taken to a hospital near Minsk on Saturday evening, according to Euroradio and other independent Belarusian news outlets that did not cite their sources. The news has not been confirmed by the country’s state media. Lukashenko has run Belarus since 1994 when he won his country’s first presidential election following the break-up of the Soviet Union. He has since kept control even though a contested presidential election in 2020 was followed by mass anti-government protests.” (05/15/23)