Yuras Karmanau, Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that he plans to deploy tactical, comparatively short-range and small-yield nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Over 50 local leaders have been held in Russian captivity since the war began on Feb. 24 in an attempt to subdue cities and towns coming under Moscow’s control.

Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of resorting to “medieval siege” tactics in some places, and in one encircled city, Mariupol, there was no sign yet of an evacuation.

Alexander Lukashenko also accused the West of fomenting the unrest as he sought to consolidate his grip on power.

Thousands of people protested in Minsk for a second straight night Monday after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule until 2025.

The incident has drawn strong criticism of Russia by the United States and its allies and has fueled fears of wider fighting in the region.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday publicly lifted his objections to a referendum that could give more powers to the restive regions engulfed in more than a year of warfare, reversing his government's previous position. Russia-backed separatists, however, dismissed Poroshenko's gesture as meaningless.