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At a lengthy press conference in the Ukrainian capital, activists Ivan Kravtsov and Anton Rodnenkov gave their version of their disappearance. It began, they said, with a trip to check on the safety of his colleague Maria Kolesnikova, a prominent anti-government activist who has been detained by the Belarusian Border Control.
All three are members of the Coordination Council of Belarus, the country’s main opposition political group, which seeks to coordinate a peaceful transition of power after the disputed August elections.
Rodnenkov said he and Kravtsov visited Kolesnikova’s home in Minsk on Monday after hearing reports of her disappearance.
However, when the two men arrived at their home, unidentified men pushed them onto a bus and questioned them, they told reporters. Later, they were separately put into a convoy of five or six cars, including Kravtsov’s BMW, and brought to the Belarusian border with Ukraine.
Rodnenkov said the convoy stopped in the no-man’s-land between the two borders. He said he was then told to get into Kravtsov’s car, where he saw Kravtsov sitting in the passenger seat, and noticed that all three passports were in the vehicle.
“At that moment Maria appeared,” Rodnenkov said.
Kolesnikova was “forcibly pushed” into the back seat of a car with them, he said, but resisted being sent to Ukraine. Upon seeing her passport, it broke into pieces and “threw them out the window at the strangers surrounding the car,” Rodnenkov said.
Kolesnikova then got out of the car window and started walking towards the Belarusian border, she said. Belarusian officials confirmed on state television Tuesday that she was detained by Border Control.
Meanwhile, Rodnenkov “stepped on the gas” and headed for Ukraine.
According to the men, the Belarusian authorities pursued them and tried to block their passage with a bus, but they managed to reach safety on the Ukrainian side of the border, where “they were greeted by very friendly and understanding military personnel from the Ukrainian border control.”
CNN cannot confirm all the details of his experience. However, the Belarusian Border Control has confirmed that Kravtsov and Rodnenkov entered Ukraine at 4 am on Tuesday.
They are currently the last people to report seeing Kolesnikova since Monday.
America is ‘deeply concerned’ by kidnapping reports
Reports that the trio were missing emerged this week after a fourth consecutive weekend of anti-government protests in the country. Unrest broke out in Belarus shortly after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in the Aug. 9 elections, which observers have criticized as neither free nor fair.
Lukashenko, who has ruled for 26 years and is often described as the last dictator in Europe, remains defiant despite massive demonstrations.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement released Tuesday night that the United States is “deeply concerned about the alleged abduction” of Kolesnikova, Rodnenkou and Krautsou, and the “attempted forced removal” by the border with Ukraine.
He said the United States is considering additional targeted sanctions and emphasized that the Belarusian authorities are responsible for the safety of Kolesnikova and “all those unjustly detained.”
“We call on the Belarusian authorities to end the violence against their own people, release all those who have been unjustly detained, including the US citizen Vitali Shkliarov, and enter into a meaningful dialogue with genuine representatives of Belarusian society.” , said.
The European Union on Monday condemned the arrest of Kolesnikova and that of all political activists in Belarus, criticizing the “intimidation” of Belarusian citizens.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called for the release of Kolesnikova and all political activists, including 633 anti-government protesters who were arrested after a peaceful march on Sunday.
“It is clear that the state authorities in Belarus continue to intimidate or allow the intimidation of their citizens in an increasingly illegal way and in stark violation of both their own national laws and their international obligations,” Borrell said.
Russia, by contrast, has refused to acknowledge the presence of political prisoners in Belarus.
In a conference call with journalists, Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov said Tuesday: “We still do not have detailed information about what happened to (Maria Kolesnikova),” and cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
“In general, we are not ready to admit the existence of political prisoners in Belarus,” Peskov said.
Report contributed by Anna Chernova in Moscow.
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