Amid swirling rumors about the health of Belarusian President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, state news media released photos of him on Monday. The Kremlin ally had not been seen since last week when he attended events celebrating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Ukrainian officials and media had been feeding speculation that he was seriously ill. Russia’s tightly controlled news media reported that Mr. Lukashenko was unwell, citing Konstantin Zatulin, a senior Russian legislator who works closely with Belarus. Belta, the official Belarusian news agency, said that Mr. Lukashenko visited an air force command post and published what it said were photos of the leader that day. The intense secrecy of closed countries like Belarus and Russia allows wild rumors about their leaders to take flight, making it difficult to explain the deaths of apparently healthy officials.
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