Veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko is facing the biggest challenge of his 26 years in power MOSCOW: Police in Belarus detained 442 people at anti-government protests on Sunday, including 266 people in the capital Minsk, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko is facing the biggest challenge of his 26 years in power after a presidential election tainted by vote-rigging allegations last month sparked mass protests that have run for six weeks.