Belarus forces hold military drills

Belarusian military forces are holding military drills from Monday until Thursday, according to the Belarus Ministry of Defence, at sites near Astravets, close to the border with NATO-member Lithuania.

Lithuanian officials were alerted to the exercises launched near its border in Belarus' Grodno Region on Monday and warned that Russia might be planning to use the situation to take over Belarus.

There is concern that the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's weekend telephone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin could herald an attempt by the country's giant eastern neighbour to prop up the embattled leader.

Lukashenko spoke twice with Putin over the weekend in the hope of finding support.

The Belarus leader claimed NATO nations are beefing up military forces on the border with Belarus - a claim the alliance rejected.

The official results of the election gave Lukashenko 80% of the votes and Tsikhanouskaya only 10%, but the opposition claim the outcome was falsified.

The 37-year-old former teacher left for neighbouring Lithuania on Aug. 11 under what her associates described as pressure from law enforcement officials.

Her husband, who she replaced on the ballot, has been in jail since May.

(Representative Image)