Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the recent presidential election in Belarus a success, RIA Novosti reported.

"We assume that the election has taken place," he said in an interview with Russia 1 television.

According to official results, incumbent President Aleksandr Lukashenko has won the August 9 presidential election in Belarus for the sixth time—and with 80.1% of the votes. The opposition, however, believes that opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has actually won.

Following the announcement of the official results, a mass wave of protests erupted in the country. According to official figures, more than 6,700 people were arrested in the first days of these protests. More than 120 police officers were injured and three protesters died.