FILE PHOTO: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends an interview with journalists of Russian media in Minsk, Belarus September 8, 2020. Nikolai Petrov/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin bestowed a $1.5 billion (1.16 billion pounds) loan on Belarus on Monday in a gesture of support for its leader Alexander Lukashenko, who flew to entreat his patron for help after five weeks of mass protests demanding his resignation.
A day after more than 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Minsk with chants of "You're a rat", Lukashenko met Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in urgent need of help to maintain his 26-year grip on power.
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