On the eve of his meeting with Vladimir Putin, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko faced a 100,000-strong protest in the streets of Minsk, where law enforcement again cracked down and detained hundreds of people. “You’re a rat,” chanted the opposition, which claims Lukashenko rigged the last election to maintain his 26-year grip on power. Lukashenko’s trip to Russia will mark his first face-to-face meeting with Putin since the Aug. 9 election unleashed five weeks of demonstrations. He is seeking Russia’s backing, and will learn what price he must pay for that support.
