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Russia and Belarus collided again after Belarusian security forces detained 32 Russians last week at a rest sanatorium outside Minsk. According to the Belarusian Government, they are mercenaries whose mission was to destabilize the situation in the country in the face of the presidential elections on the next day 9. Moscow has said that these men were on their way to Latin America via Istanbul.

The Russian version is a little late. Last Friday Alexander Agafonov, the head of the Belarusian investigative group handling the case, said the 33 men arrested - one more was captured in the south of the country - had given "conflicting explanations" about his plans. Fewer than half of the detainees spoke of Turkey as the final destination of the route. The rest named completely different destinations: some said Venezuela and others spoke of Libya. And those who said they were going to Turkey gave very different reasons. "One said he flew to sunbathe," say Belarusian researchers.

The episode took on humorous overtones when Belarusians revealed that "another detainee said he was going to see the Hagia Sophia up close" in Istanbul. It so happens that the two secret agents identified by the United Kingdom as those who tried to kill the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in 2018 on British soil gave an interview at the time to the RT channel (which broadcasts the Kremlin's positions abroad) in which they assured that their fleeting trip to London had been only to see Salisbury Cathedral, located in the center of the town where the crime occurred, which cost the life of a woman.

WAGNER IN LATIN AMERICA

After days of confusion, Russia now claims that the detainees - who according to the Belarusian government are mercenaries of the Russian private military company Wagner - were on their way to a Latin American country. "I want to emphasize that each of the detainees has assured Russian diplomats that he entered the country in transit," Russian Consul in Minsk Kiril Pletniov told the Russian television channel Rossia1. According to this version, the 33 detainees were supposed to have left Minsk on July 25 on a plane bound for Istanbul, before leaving for a Latin American country.

They had a hotel reservation to wait for their next flight, but did not show up there. They stayed in some rooms of the Belorusochka sanatorium, which were also "reserved in advance, that is, nobody was going to take off somewhere else ," according to the newspaper 'Novaya Gazeta' from the Belarus Investigation Committee.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and faces his closest elections, with the opposition taking to the streets. In recent weeks, he has denounced attempts to interfere from abroad in the electoral process. And he has especially pointed to Russia and Poland. After the arrests, the Secretary of State of the Belarusian Security Council, Andrei Ravkov, assured that his country's security forces are also looking for another 200 Russian mercenaries. In the conversations captured on the mobile phones of the detainees, there are indications that the arrival of more troops is expected .

Authorities in Minsk said they believe the husband of opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tijanovskaya (who has been unable to participate because of his imprisonment) may have ties to the group. In fact, they have started a criminal case against her on suspicion of inciting riots. Belarus Interior Minister Yuri Karaev recorded a video message for police officers saying that next week will be very tough both physically and mentally and promises them protection.

A criminal proceeding has been initiated against the detainees for preparing terrorist actions. According to the Ukrainian authorities, several of the detained Russians have fought in eastern Ukraine on the side of the pro-Russian separatists. Therefore, Kiev has requested the extradition of these mercenaries.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Russia
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • Venezuela
  • UK
  • Libya
  • London
  • Poland

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