Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, first from right, and US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, first from left, hold talks in Moscow, Russia, Aug 25, 2020. (PHOTO / MARIA ZAKHAROVA VIA AP)

MOSCOW/MINSK - Russia has warned the United States and the European Union (EU) against any form of interference in Belarus' internal affairs, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday in a statement following talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun in Moscow.

"During the exchange of views on the current situation in Belarus, the Russian side emphasized the inadmissibility of attempts to exert pressure on Minsk, either through sanctions or politically, in order to undermine the process of establishing a mutually respectful dialogue in the country," the statement reads.

During the exchange of views on the current situation in Belarus, the Russian side emphasized the inadmissibility of attempts to exert pressure on Minsk, either through sanctions or politically, in order to undermine the process of establishing a mutually respectful dialogue in the country.

Russian Foreign Ministry

"Russia warns the U.S. and the EU against any form of interference in the internal affairs of Belarus, including open calls for anti-government demonstrations that are ongoing in some capitals," it added.

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Belarus has been witnessing mass protests after incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term in the Aug 9 elections, with the opposition refusing to recognize the results.  

Belarus jails 2 opposition leaders

On Tuesday, Belarus jailed two opposition leaders for 10 days as the government pursued a crackdown on the few figures still at large, while schoolteachers led a new protest of thousands against President Alexander Lukashenko.

Despite most major opposition figures being in jail or exile, Lukashenko has so far failed to put down protests against his 26-year-old rule, more than two weeks after an election his opponents say was rigged.

Olga Kovalkova and Siarhei Dyleuski were brought to separate courts where they were each jailed for 10 days. Kovalkova is the main representative still in Belarus of opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and Dyleuski has led strikes at Minsk's flagship tractor factory.

Opposition leaders Olga Kovalkova and Siarhei Dyleuski were jailed for 10 days, as the government pursued a crackdown on the few figures still at large

Both are senior figures in an opposition Coordination Council, set up last week with the self-described aim of negotiating with the authorities. They were arrested on Monday.

Lukashenko has accused the new council of attempting to seize power, and prosecutors have launched a criminal case.

READ MORE: Belarus launches criminal case against new opposition body

Another opposition council member, Pavel Latushko, a former culture minister and head of the main state drama theatre, was questioned by investigators on Tuesday but not arrested. He emerged saying he would go back to work and the council's activities were not illegal.

The council includes dozens of figures representing broad swathes of society. Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich has been summoned for questioning on Wednesday afternoon.

"The intimidation will not work. We will not relent," candidate Tsikhanouskaya said in a video link with the European Parliament. "We demand all political prisoners freed. We demand to stop the violence and intimidation by the authorities."

The Belarus Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Tsikhanouskaya's appeal to annul the election results.

Belarusian opposition supporters light their smartphones as they gather at Independence Square with the government building in the background in Minsk, Belarus, Aug 25, 2020. (SERGEI GRITS / AP)

Teachers head rally of thousands

In the latest protest, thousands gathered at the Ministry of Education to demonstrate against a threat by Lukashenko to fire schoolteachers who do not support his government. Rallies have typically attracted thousands during the week, swelling to tens of thousands on weekends.

Lukashenko has denied election cheating. He has called the protesters "rats" and says they are funded from abroad.

READ MORE: Belarus' Lukashenko defiant as protests, strikes continue

Rights group Spring said on Wednesday that Belarusian police have rounded up more than 30 protesters heading home from peaceful demonstrations.

The Interior Ministry said police had detained 51 people for administrative violations after unsanctioned rallies on Tuesday. It typically reports dozens of such arrests per day.

Lukashenko's posturing has grown steadily more confrontational: in recent days he has been pictured on state television with a Kalashnikov rifle and tactical vest. Yet so far, a long-standing threat of a decisive police operation to clear the streets has yet to materialize.

Belarus is the closest ally to Russia of all former Soviet republics, and Lukashenko's fate is widely seen as in the hands of the Kremlin, which must decide whether to stick with him as his authority has ebbed.