…CLAIMS WEST PLOTTED TO ASSASSINATE HIM.

Also yesterday, Lukashenka claimed that an assassination attempt against him had been hatched inside the Drazdy diplomatic compound, situated next to the presidential residence. “My life hung by a thread. The terrorist act was being prepared a few meters from here,” Lukashenka charged. He claimed that the “discovery” vindicated his decision to close down the Drazdy compound. Lukashenka insinuated that local and foreign elements had cooperated in the “plot.” He announced that the investigation is well advanced, and promised further “revelations” soon (Russian agencies and TV, October 6). Earlier this year, Lukashenka forcibly appropriated the Drazdy compound, evicting the envoys of Western and pro-Western countries. The incident virtually froze the regime’s international relations outside the CIS (AP, October 6).

BRZEZINSKI SANGUINE ON UKRAINE’S FUTURE.