Belarusian-born participant in war in Ukraine arrested in Minsk


Illustrative photo.

Another citizen of Belarus has been arrested on suspicion of articipation in military actions in the territory of Ukraine, Fyodar Baleyka, Head of the Interior Department in Brest, told journalists on Tuesday.

The police detained the unemployed 35-year-old resident of Pruzhany district, who was wanted on charges of failure to pay child support, on January, 11 in Minsk.

“When he was taken to Pruzhany, it became clear that he took part in fighting in the territory of Donetsk and Lugansk regions as part of combat units. The man has awards – he proved it when being questioned. His actions will be defined in accordance with the Criminal Code,” the head of the police department said.

This case is not one-off incident, Mr Baleyka stressed. According to him, a number of residents of Brest region are involved in the conflict in the east of Ukraine.

The police and the Committee for State Security (KGB) are carrying out social preventive work and keeping record of citizens who went to Ukraine to allegedly participate in fighting.

The situation in the neighboring country affects the level of crime in Belarus’ Brest region, the head of the plice department states.. For example, last year 78 criminal cases related to illegal arms trafficking were initiated, which is 3 times more if compared to 2014.

In November 2015, a young man who fought for Ukraine in Donbas was arrested in Minsk. However, the people who know him that the arrestee had mental problems.

TWITTER