Lukashenka suddenly skips Belarus’ Independence Day celebrations

Alexander Lukashenka did not appear at the ceremonial events marking Belarusian Independence Day. He was absent both in the morning at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Mound of Glory and at the evening gala concert at the Stela in Minsk.

In the morning, instead of Lukashenka, a speech was delivered by the Security Council Chairman Alexander Volfovich. The top military official explained the politician's absence from Independence Day by saying that he "is today resolving tasks of a strategic nature in the name of the prosperity of our country".

Lukashenka's plane arrived in Minsk in the early hours of July 3, around 04:00. Prior to that, he had been on what he himself called a "prolonged business trip": after a two-day visit to Putin at Valdai, he visited China and Indonesia, and on his way home stopped for several hours in Myanmar.