MOSCOW – Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko said yesterday that more than 20 people had been detained in connection with an attack on a Russian military plane claimed by regime opponents last month.
“To date, more than 20 accomplices who are in Belarus have been detained. The rest are hiding,” said Lukashenko, a key Kremlin ally.
He identified the presumed main culprit as a dual Russian-Ukrainian citizen.
Members of Belarus’ exiled opposition said partisans had destroyed the Russian plane at an airstrip near the capital Minsk.
Lukashenko forced many of his critics from the country after historic protests in 2020 and jailed the rest.
The authoritarian leader confirmed Tuesday that an A-50 plane had been targeted but claimed it “did not suffer any significant damage”.
He described the main suspect as a “terrorist” who had been trained by Kyiv.
“He was recruited by the Ukrainian special services in 2014 apparently. He is an IT specialist or somebody well versed in IT,” he said.
Lukashenko said, however, the incident would not spur Belarus to take up arms.
“If you think that by throwing us this challenge, you will drag us into the war tomorrow, which is already going on all over Europe today, you are mistaken,” he said.
Belarus, Russia’s only ally in Europe against Kyiv, has not taken a direct role in Moscow’s offensive on Ukraine.
But Lukashenko did allow Belarusian territory to be used as a launchpad for Moscow’s military intervention over a year ago.
Act of terrorism
The Belarusian KGB security service yesterday, identified the main suspect as Nikolai Shvets, born in 1993, saying he was detained in a “large-scale special operation” of law enforcement agencies.
A senior official with the KGB, Konstantin Bychek, added that a criminal probe has been launched on charges of “attempting to commit an act of terrorism”, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported.
He added that the KGB established the “direct involvement” of “operational staff and the leadership of Ukraine’s security service” in the attack.
Ukraine denied its involvement.
“Obviously, this is another attempt to create an artificial threat from Ukraine to justify its (Belarus’) support of Russia’s aggression,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Facebook.
Lukashenko said the attack was carried out using small drones to avoid detection.
Members of the Belarusian opposition said last month that the operation was carried out by two Belarusians, who then fled the country.
According to Kyiv, Russia has also used Belarusian airstrips to launch strikes on Ukraine.
In recent months, Belarus and Russia have held a series of military exercises, and Ukraine has expressed fear that Minsk could enter the conflict.
Lukashenko has said Minsk would only join the fighting in Ukraine if attacked by Kyiv’s army. – AFP, March 8, 2023
