Lukashenko claims detention of Ukrainian "saboteurs" in recent counter-terrorist operation

Self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has announced the conclusion of the so-called counter-terrorist operation regime on the border with Ukraine, claiming to have detained several "saboteurs."

Source: Lukashenko's address 

Quote from Lukashenko: "I received these reports in the morning. Just today, we detained several saboteurs on the Ukrainian border. With the help of drones, some Ukrainian citizens crawled through the swamps to our border, transferring explosives for carrying out [acts of] sabotage, primarily on the territory of Russia and Belarus."

Details: Lukashenko mentioned the recently concluded "counter-terrorist operation regime", which, as he put it, "you didn't even notice."

"Just now, the chekist-military operation has ended. All saboteurs were detained, including Belarusians. And this, in fact, happens 2-3 times a week. Can we relax? We cannot!" noted Lukashenko. (Chekist is probably a reference to Belarusian KGB staff; chekism is a term that relates to the situation in the Soviet Union where the secret police strongly controlled all spheres of society. It is also used to point out similar circumstances in post-Soviet intelligence states such as modern Russia)

Background: 

• On 15 February, the Belarusian KGB administration in Gomel Oblast introduced a counter-terrorist operation regime in the Lyelchytsy district of Gomel Oblast in Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine.
• The reasons for implementing the counter-terrorist operation regime have not been disclosed. The district’s executive committee stated that the counter-terrorism operation regime has been introduced within the framework of drills.
• At the same time, Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, said that Ukrainian border guards did not report any offensive activities on the border with Belarus due to the introduction of a counter-terrorist operation regime in the Lyelchytsy district of Gomel Oblast in Belarus; the situation is under control.

Support UP or become our patron!