Belarus’ authorities said on Monday that some 800 individuals were arrested as the country voted to abandon its non-nuclear status in a referendum that raises the stakes at a time when the country has become a staging ground for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Belarus after the vote, which sparked the largest protests in months. President Alexander Lukashenko has imposed a sweeping crackdown on dissent after a contested election in 2020 threatened his grip on power.
According to official data, the referendum to modify the constitution was passed by 65 percent, putting nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil for the first time since the Soviet Union fell apart.
It comes at a time when Lukashenko has joined Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military assault on Ukraine, after previously serving as a go-between between the two neighbours.
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