An aging Eastern European despot and key ally of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin took a nasty tumble while skating out on the ice during an amateur hockey match Sunday.
Alexander Lukashenko, who at 71 years old has ruled the repressive former Soviet republic of Belarus for more than three decades, was playing on his very own presidential squad against the Brest region’s team at the Olympic Arena in the country’s capital of Minsk.
The president—whose regime has repeatedly fended off accusations of human rights abuses, including torture and the targeted assassination of political opponents—suffered a brush from another player on his team before crashing backwards onto the ice.
Users have widely shared footage of the incident on social media, though some X posts are currently being withheld in the EU and the United Kingdom following what appears to have been a “legal demand.” Further information is unavailable at this time.
Available clips show the president tumbling over and smacking the back of his helmet against the ice before lying on his back as he spins slowly to a stop, with the player who knocked him over then anxiously helping him to his feet.
Lukashenko, a key supporter of Putin’s ongoing war against Ukraine, has since attempted to shrug the fall off, telling Kremlin propaganda network Russia Today he feels “good, except for a muscle strain in my back.”
“A normal work situation, hit your own to make others afraid, everything is fine. I’m getting ready for the next game!” he added.
A notice on Lukashenko’s official website claims that “sport plays an important role in the life of the President of Belarus.” It lists his “hobbies” as soccer, skiing, roller skiing, cycling and tennis, which he apparently does in order to avoid becoming “fat, paunchy and logy.”
While the website somewhat questionably claims the murderous tyrant “is known all over the world as a leader of an amateur ice hockey team,” it’s not the first time Lukashenko’s penchant for hockey has made headlines.
He and Putin played together on the rink in 2021 following a series of “negotiations” on deepening defense ties ahead of what later proved to be the launch of Russia’s full-scale offensive against Ukraine.
Lukashenko and Putin won against the opposing team 18-7.
The post Putin’s Ally, 71, Humiliated in Ice Hockey Game Wipeout appeared first on The Daily Beast.
