Supporters of Lukashenko rally in Minsk

Supporters of Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko rallied in the capital Minsk's Independence Square on Sunday to show their support of the beleaguered leader.

The pro-government gathering comes after days of huge opposition demonstrations demanding the country's authoritarian leader resign after last week's election.

The anti-government protests began after officials claimed the 65-year-old Lukashenko won a sixth term in a landslide.

The opposition believe the election figures were manipulated and say protesters have been beaten mercilessly by police since the vote.

Harsh police crackdowns against the protesters, including the detention of some 7,000 people, have not quashed the most sustained anti-government movement since Lukashenko took power in 1994.

On Saturday, Lukashenko declared that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to provide security assistance to restore order if Belarus requested it.

Luksahenko did not specify what sort of assistance Russia would be willing to provide.

But he suggested Russia may provide military assistance, referring a mutual support deal the two former Soviet republics signed back in the 1990s.