Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Friday ordered the closure of several Russian media outlets for printing "hysterical" articles on the country's currency crisis.
Belarus cut the official value of its currency against the dollar by 36 percent on Monday and panic buying has gripped the former Soviet state.
"I won't name names so as not to boost their ratings," he told his chief of staff Vladimir Makei. "Do all there is to be done to oust those media outlets from our territory."
Lukashenko also said Russia media outlets had falsely clamed that he had "fled to Kazakhstan" to escape increasing social discontent.
MINSK, May 27 (RIA Novosti)
