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President Lukashenko (C) chaired an urgent security meeting
Authorities in Belarus say they have arrested 33 suspected Russian mercenaries believed to be plotting “terrorism” ahead of the August 9 presidential election.
Russia is seeking clarification on the arrests, a Kremlin spokesman said.
Dmitry Peskov said he knew nothing of a plot or the Wagner paramilitary group, which Belarus suspects is involved.
President Alexander Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and is seeking a sixth term.
It has exercised authoritarian control over Belarus in a style reminiscent of the Soviet era and has faced a wave of opposition protests over its reelection bid.
Belarus Security Council Secretary Andrey Rawkow said investigators suspected that as many as 200 Russian mercenaries had entered the country to “destabilize the situation during the election campaign.”
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The Investigative Committee (SK), which is handling the case, says it is investigating possible links between the Russian suspects and the imprisoned husband of opposition presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Syarhey Tsikhanouski, a popular opposition blogger, is accused of trying to foment mass unrest, despite being in prison. He also faces other charges.
“Tsikhanouski, [Mikola] Statkevich and 33 detained Russian citizens acted together, “SK spokesman Sergei Kabakovich told AFP news agency.
Statkevich, a veteran opposition activist, is also in prison.
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Andrey Rawkow said 14 of the detained Russians had fought in the Donbas conflict in Ukraine, and described their presence in Belarus as a “very unpleasant situation”.
Reports by UN investigators, the US military and journalists have documented the Wagner group’s operations in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic. The Russian government denies any ties to the group.
Belarusian state news agency Belta named the 33 Russian suspects and gave their birth dates.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian security service SBU says it plans to seek extradition of the Russians, so that they can be prosecuted for alleged crimes in eastern Ukraine.
Russia is under international sanctions for its military involvement in Ukraine, although the Kremlin denies having armed the pro-Russian separatists in Donbas.
Read more about the Wagner group:
The SK statement said authorities on Wednesday had “arrested 33 citizens of the Russian Federation, members of the Wagner PMC [private military company], who were staying at the Belorusochka sanatorium in the Minsk district. “
Video footage of the group’s arrest showed they had Sudanese currency and a Sudanese phone card with them. The Wagner group is known to be active in Sudan, and it is speculated that it was using Belarus as a transit country for African operations.
In Moscow, Mr. Peskov said on Thursday: “We know that 33 Russians were arrested yesterday in Belarus. Two hundred are still free. We do not know of any illegal activity that is the reason for their arrest.”
He also said that “there was no such concept” as “Wagner PMC” in Russia.
“There are already hints that some Russian organizations are sending someone to destabilize the situation in Belarus. Or, of course, they are only hints,” he said.
