Belarus: 100,000 join rally against Lukashenko on eve of Putin showdown

Protesters hold placards criticising Russian support as they march on president's Minsk residence

Attempts by Belarus's president, Alexander Lukashenko, to crush popular protests against him failed on Sunday when more than 100,000 people marched on his residence in the capital, Minsk, with other demonstrations across the country.

There was no sign that the anti-Lukashenko movement is declining or fading away. Instead protesters took to the streets in huge numbers for the fifth weekend in a row, defying riot police who blocked off the city centre with military vehicles.