Putin 'pledges support' for Belarus president
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says that Russia has agreed to offer security assistance in the case of external military threats.
Mr Lukashenko also voiced concerns over Nato military exercises occurring in neighbouring Poland and Lithuania.
The news headlines comes as the embattled president faces mass protests over the disputed 9 August election.
Thousands gathered outside state tv on Saturday, demanding full coverage of the demonstrations.
The unrest erupted after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in last week's election, the result of which includes been condemned amid widespread allegations of vote-rigging.
The Central Election Commission says Mr Lukashenko, who has been around power since 1994, won 80.1% of the vote and the key opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya 10.12%.
But Ms Tikhanovskaya insists that where votes were properly counted, she won support which range from 60% to 70%.
What's happening politically?
As the unrest continued on Saturday, Mr Lukashenko sought help from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Lukashenko said President Putin had promised to supply what he called comprehensive assistance in case of external military threats to Belarus.
The announcement came your day after EU foreign ministers agreed to prepare new sanctions against Belarusian officials responsible for "falsification". The US in addition has condemned the election as "not free and fair".
In a joint statement on Saturday, meanwhile, the prime ministers of three Baltic republics - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - "expressed deep concern at the violent crackdown... and the political repression of the opposition by the authorities".
Lithuania and Latvia have previously said they are prepared to mediate in Belarus, provided the authorities stopped violence against protesters and formed a national council with members of civil society. They warned that the alternative was sanctions.
The leaders said the presidential election was "neither free nor fair" and needed a "transparent" vote "with the participation of international observers".
"The prime ministers urge the Belarusian authorities to avoid violence against peaceful demonstrators [and to] release all political prisoners and the ones that contain been detained," the statement added.
Ms Tikhanovskaya left for Lithuania following election after she publicly denounced the results. She had sent her children to Lithuania for safety prior to the vote.
Some 6,700 people were arrested in the wake of the election, and several have spoken of torture as a result of the security services.
Amnesty International said accounts from released detainees suggested "widespread torture".
What's the latest with the protests?
Demonstrations have continued following Ms Tikhanovskaya's demand further relaxing rallies on Friday.
Some 100 staff came out of the state tv set building to become listed on Saturday's protests, saying they planned a strike on Monday, AFP news agency reports. Others have signed a letter in support of a strike.
"Like everyone we are demanding free elections and the release of these detained at mass protests," one employee, Andrei Yaroshevich, told AFP.
On election day, Belarusian state channels aired the voices of Lukashenko supporters and didn't cover the demonstrations. State TV later showed footage of violence at fault protesters and warn persons not to participate.
Several journalists have resigned over the coverage.
Earlier on Saturday, thousands of men and women waved flags, lit candles and laid flowers at the scene close to the metro station where one of the protesters, Alexander Taraikovsky, died on Monday.
Others organized pictures of injured protesters, while drivers joined in by honking their horns.
Many opposition supporters chanted "Leave!" - a demand President Lukashenko to resign - and some carried signs with slogans against police violence.
The circumstances of Mr Taraikovsky's death are unclear.
Officials say he died when an explosive device went off in his hand throughout a protest, but his partner, Elena German, told the Associated Press news agency that she believed the 34-year-old was shot by police.
A "March for Freedom" can be planned in the centre of metropolis on Sunday, weekly following the contested election.
