Belarus leader appears in public, dismisses talk of bad illness

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko appeared in public on Tuesday and dismissed talk he was seriously ill, telling officials, "I'm not going to die, guys," according to a video shown by a state-run media outlet said.

Lukashenko, 68, is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies. Rumours about the state of his health have circulated since he appeared at a military parade in Moscow on May 9, looking tired and a little unsteady.

Lukashenko, sounding hoarse, told a meeting on health issues that he had been suffering from an adenovirus, which is a common cold virus. Footage of the encounter was broadcast by Pul Pervovo, a state outlet that reports on Lukashenko's activities.

"If someone thinks I am going to die, calm down," Lukashenko said, adding that while it only took three days to recover from such a virus, he had been too busy to take time off immediately.

"I'm not going to die, guys. You'll have to struggle with me for a very long time to come," he said.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told her supporters on Monday to be ready to grab any chance to turn her country into a democracy.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron first since 1994, last year allowed Russian forces to use his country as a launch pad for the invasion of Ukraine.