Minsk collected USD 375,000 from anti-govt protesters for damage

Minsk [Belarus], February 9 (ANI/Sputnik): Minsk authorities have collected about $375,000 from participants of anti-government unauthorized rallies for damage caused by their actions to the city, Vladimir Kukharev, the mayor of the Belarusian capital, said on Tuesday.
"As of today, 980,000 Belarusian rubles [about $375,000] have been collected and this work is underway. All those people, who caused damage to communications and courtyard areas, have been identified, brought to justice, and they are charged with the amounts that were requested by the municipal services of Minsk," Kukharev said as quoted by state-run Belta news agency.
The mayor specified that the total amount of damage, assessed by city services, stands at 1.25 million Belarusian rubles.
Belarus has seen regular mass opposition protests following the presidential election that took place on August 9, 2020, that saw President Alexander Lukashenko re-elected for a sixth term. While electoral authorities maintain that Lukashenko garnered over 80 percent of the vote, the opposition insists that his key opponent, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, won the election.
The authorities have officially confirmed the deaths of three protesters. Protest actions are still ongoing, but law enforcement officials note a general decrease in the number of participants and about the movement of rallies from the streets to the courtyards of residential buildings. Protest activity is now noticeably lower than six months ago. (ANI/Sputnik)