EU sanctions Belarus, Russia decries 'meddling'

The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko has now ordered his police to quash the mass protests against his rule.

And he had this warning for Western powers, such as the European Union, which has now confirmed that it will impose sanctions over what it calls fraud and repression in the reelection that kept Lukashenko in office.

"If someone thinks that the power is failing and shaking, you're wrong. I want to say that that power has someone to rely on, so we will not waver, we will go our way as it should. Those who today, especially abroad, and this is clearly visible, are plotting against us, will get a serious rebuff."

EU powers convened for an emergency summit in Brussels where the bloc announced that it didn't recognize the results of the election earlier this month.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel:

"There is no doubt for us in the European Union that there have been massive violations of the rules. The elections were neither fair nor free."

Belarus borders both Russia and the European Union, and has leaned toward Russia traditionally.

Flight-tracking data shows a Russian government plane used to carry senior officials, including the head of the FSB security service, made a quick flight to Belarus and back, landing in Moscow in the early hours of Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is accusing foreign powers of using the crisis to interfere in Belarus, and meddle in its affairs.