Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has formed a police reserve force to intervene in Belarus if necessary, but that point has not yet been reached.
Speaking on Russian state TV, he said Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko "asked me to set up a certain police reserve" and "I have done so".
"We also agreed that it won't be used until the situation gets out of control," he told Rossiya 1TV.
Mr Lukashenko's disputed 9 August re-election triggered huge protests.
Separately, at least 13 journalists - including a BBC team - were detained in the centre of the capital, Minsk, ahead of a planned opposition protest. The interior ministry said they had been taken to a police station for identity checks, but the BBC's Steve Rosenberg said it was a "clear attempt to interfere with coverage of events".
Comments