Opposition supporters carrying flags of Belarus parade through the streets during a rally to protest against the Belarus presidential election results in Minsk on October 18, 2020. (STRINGER / AFP)

MOSCOW - Police in Belarus detained 280 people at nationwide mass protests on Sunday, including 215 in the capital Minsk, the Interior Ministry said.

Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Minsk on Sunday to demand the resignation of veteran president Alexander Lukashenko, despite a threat by officials to use firearms against protesters.

Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Minsk on Sunday to demand the resignation of veteran president Alexander Lukashenko

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Meanwhile, Belarus has released a jailed political consultant with US citizenship and two opposition figures into house arrest, the Tut.by media outlet reported on Monday, in a rare concession by Lukashenko after months of protests.

Vitaly Shkliarov, a consultant who has worked in the United States and Russia, was detained in Belarus in July and accused of organizing public disorder in the runup to an Aug 9 presidential election.

He was shifted to house arrest, along with Lilia Vlasova, a member of an opposition body, the Coordination Council, and Ilya Saley, a lawyer for opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, who were detained in a crackdown that followed the disputed vote.

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The three were among a small group of jailed opposition figures that met Lukashenko on Oct 10 when he visited a KGB detention facility. Belarusian state media reported at the time that Lukahshenko discussed constitutional reforms with the opposition figures.