⁍ Russia demands explanation from Belarus over wrongful arrest of alleged Russian mercenaries accused of plotting acts of terrorism.

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⁍ The arrests risk worsening already strained relations between Belarus and traditional ally Russia.

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⁍ Authorities said they had received information that over 200 fighters had entered the country to destabilise it before an Aug. 9 presidential election.

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⁍ Some of the captured men confessed to trying to orchestrate a revolution, and Russia’s ambassador was summoned to explain.

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– More than 30 suspected Russian mercenaries were detained in Belarus on Wednesday, and authorities there say some of them have confessed to an alleged plot to overthrow President Alexander Lukashenko ahead of an Aug. 9 election. Some of the men have been charged with terrorism, and a criminal case was opened on Thursday, the BBC reports. Authorities say the men, who arrived in Belarus on a flight from Russia, had planned to carry out “terrorist acts” in the country and were trying to get to a third country via Turkey. Russia’s ambassador to Belarus says the men may be employees of “a private security company, which … has been commissioned to guard energy infrastructure and resources abroad but certainly not in Belarus,” Reuters reports. The arrests risk worsening already strained relations between Belarus and traditional ally Russia, which has scaled back economic support after becoming disenchanted with the pace of integration between the two countries. Lukashenko, who has been in power for more than 25 years, is expected to win the Aug. 9 election despite growing opposition and protests over concerns about the economy, human rights, and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He portrays himself as a guarantor of economic and political stability. The opposition fears Lukashenko would use the alleged plot to intensify a crackdown on rivals.