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Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova was arrested while trying to illegally cross the border with Ukraine. Two other members of the Coordination Council, Anton Rodnenkov and Ivan Kravtsov, “fled,” BelTA reports on its Telegram channel.
The State Border Service confirmed that around 4:00 am the opponents carried out the registration process at the Aleksandrovka checkpoint in accordance with the established procedure. According to the official version, after successfully passing border and customs control, the car tried to stop an additional detachment of border guards for inspection purposes, the opponents passed.
“Upon seeing this border guard, the vehicle in which this group was following him accelerated sharply and represented a threat to the life of the military man,” said Anton Bychkovsky, official representative of the State Border Committee, about the attempt to hit the border guard. .
He added that at that time Kolesnikova was pushed out of the car by her partners. Soon, according to the authorities, they fled to Ukraine, Kolesnikova was arrested. Currently, law enforcement officers are investigating.
State media reporters called the border crossing a “breakthrough” and an “escape attempt.” In the morning press release on the Belarus 1 television channel, a video message from Kravtsov was shown, which was allegedly found on the mobile phone of one of those who left the country. In the video, the opponent says that he has made the decision to leave the territory of Belarus and will now cross the border with Kolesnikova.
Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service confirmed that Rodnenkov and Kravtsov were at a checkpoint in the Kiev region and began to go through the procedures to enter the country. Soon, the opposition was stopped as part of the interaction between the two states.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry believes that the members of the Coordination Council were forcibly expelled from Belarus. According to Interfax-Ukraine sources, Kolesnikova broke her passport so that she was not allowed to enter the territory of the neighboring state.
Colleagues of opposition politicians consider the incident a provocation. Member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council, lawyer Maxim Znak said that Kolesnikova did not plan to leave the country under any pretext. He assured that the policy had “a clear position that in no case would he leave the country, only by force.”
Former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya demanded Kolesnikova’s release. In her opinion, the abductions of people speak of the weakness andiciency of the current head of state, Alexander Lukashenko. “The task of the coordinating council is to be a platform for negotiation. There is no other solution and Lukashenka must realize this. You cannot hold people hostage, “the politician told Pool Pervy Telegram channel.
On September 7, it was reported that near the National Museum of Art in central Minsk, unknown individuals put Kolesnikova into a minibus with the sign “Communication” and drove off in an unknown direction. Rodnenkov and Kravtsov also stopped contacting after that.
Previously, on the fact of the creation of the Coordination Council, the forces of order opened a criminal case in an attempt to seize power. Kolesnikova and other protest leaders have repeatedly stressed that these accusations are inappropriate, as the association is a civil platform for dialogue between the authorities and society and does not have a political objective or program. Members of the council presidium were repeatedly detained and summoned for questioning. Some of the opposition leaders left Belarus.
