Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Announces Victory Day Parade Will Not Be Canceled

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced that thousands of Belarusians want the parade dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War to take place in Minsk, regardless of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the BelTA news agency, Lukashenko emphasized the deep ideological and emotional importance of holding the parade.

“I must say that we cannot cancel the parade. We simply cannot. I have thought about this for a long time. We must remember that those people (veterans) have died, perhaps also from viruses and other diseases. And they died for us. Think about what people will say. Perhaps not immediately, perhaps a day later, two days later, they will say that we were afraid. I am concerned that people will not approve of us hiding in our homes out of fear,” the country's leader stated.

More details in the video.