Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus leader who claims to have won a disputed presidential election, said on Saturday that Vladimir Putin had promised him to help securing safety of Belarus if needed, the state news agency Belta reported.

“As far as military matters are concerned, we have an agreement with Russia  within the framework of the Union State and the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization]. . . that covers these incidents,” Mr Lukashenko said on Saturday after speaking to Putin, according to state news agency Belta.

The phone call came after Lukashenko said he needed to contact Moscow over growing protests against his rule. 

“So I had a long and thorough discussion about the situation with the president of Russia. I was even a bit surprised by how up to date he is on what’s going on,” he said.

“He and I agreed: at our first request they will provide comprehensive security assistance to ensure Belarus’s security.”

Riots erupted across the country after the Central Election Commission in Belarus gave the victory to Lukashenko.

Protests in Belarus capital Minsk and other cities continued to explode this week. Police arrested well over five thousand people nationwide, and shootings at demonstrations left several people injured and one person reportedly had been killed. Currently, thousands of people disagreed with the election results again took to the streets of cities, they flooded the streets in opposition to election results that indicate longtime authoritarian leader Lukashenko had secured the win.