Lukashenka also did not attend the evening concert in honor of July 3
At the gala concert near the stele in Minsk, flowers were only passed to the participants on behalf of Lukashenka. He himself did not appear at the event.
Alexander Lukashenka. Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina Pool Photo via AP
In the morning, at the celebrations near the Mound of Glory, Alexander Volfovich, State Secretary of the Security Council, spoke instead of Lukashenka. A text of his greeting was also issued on behalf of the press service, but he himself was not shown.
Apparently, Lukashenka's health did not allow him to personally participate in the events, as he only returned from a "long business trip" on the morning of July 3. It lasted a whole week, during which Lukashenka visited four countries: Russia, China, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Returning from the latter, he endured a 12-hour flight.
During Lukashenka's stay in Indonesia, local journalists filmed him descending a staircase with difficulty. The politician moved down the steps with noticeable difficulty and a limp, the publication Reform.news noted.