They initially took position in a vast square in the capital and later marched through the city, keeping up the massive outburst of dissent that has shaken the country since a disputed presidential election two weeks ago, reports AP.

Meanwhile, a video clip showed President Lukashenko carrying a rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest as he got off a helicopter that brought him to his working residence amid the protests.

As Lukashenko landed at the Independence Palace in Minsk, protesters were gathered in a nearby square. The video was released on the Telegram messaging app on a channel that other media identified as being close to Lukashenko’s press service.

Sunday’s demonstration overflowed Minsk’s sprawling 7-hectare (17-acre) Independence Square. There were no official figures on crowd size, but it appeared to be 150,000 people or more. The demonstrators then marched to another square about 2.5 kilometers away.

Police made no immediate efforts to break up the gathering.

Earlier this month, some 7,000 people were arrested, many of them beaten with clubs or wounded by rubber bullets, in the protests after the August 9 election that officials say handed President Lukashenko a sixth term in office.

Protesters say the official election results, in which Lukashenko reportedly received 80 percent of the vote, are fraudulent.

The size and duration of the protests have been unprecedented for Belarus, a former Soviet republic of 9.5 million people that Lukashenko has ruled with an iron fist for 26 years.

Also read: Belarus eyes closer integration with Russia, fueling protest