Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is seeking a sixth term in office in the August 9 vote, has repeatedly accused Russia of trying to force Belarus to abandon its post-Soviet independence.

Throughout his 26-year rule, the 65-year-old Lukashenko has relied on Russian subsidies and political support but has fiercely resisted Moscow officials' efforts to gain control over Belarus' economic assets.

The arrest of dozens of Russians accused of planning to destabilise Belarus amid the election campaign pushes political tensions between the countries to a new high.

Some observers see the move as a campaign stunt by Lukashenko.

Belarus' state news agency BelTA said that 32 members of Russia's Wagner private military company were detained overnight at a sanitarium outside Minsk by a SWAT team from the Belarusian State Security Committee, still known by its Soviet-era name KGB.

Another person was detained in the country's south, said the BelTA, which published a list of the detained Russians.

Lukashenko called a meeting of his Security Council and instructed the KGB chief to ask Russia for an official explanation.

"It's necessary to immediately ask the relevant Russian structures to explain what's going on," he said.

BelTA said that Belarusian law enforcement agencies were acting on a tip that more than 200 militants had arrived in Belarus on a mission to destabilise the country during the election campaign.

Australian Associated Press