BYPOL claims existence of military unit tasked with neutralising Lukashenka's rivals abroad

BYPOL, a campaign created by opposition-minded people who earlier belonged to Belarusian uniformed services, has published the information about a special unit which is allegedly entrusted with tracking and neutralising Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s political opponents living in foreign countries.

This unit was established in 2014; its official name is the 9th Division of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Defence Ministry, BYPOL stresses.

Completing rogue operations abroad is one of the tasks set before the division; its members are obliged to receive three-year training at the Military Diplomatic Faculty of the Belarusian Military Academy or at the KGB Institute of National Security (where would-be agents live and study in rooms on a separate closed floor and have a limited number of teachers), or in military educational institutions of the Russian Federation, the initiative reports on Telegram.

During the training, the candidates supposedly learn two foreign languages, study special disciplines, have diving and parachuting classes so that they could secretly enter a foreign country by air or water They also hone shooting skills and know more about conducting special operations in urban areas.

According to BYPOL, the fact of the unit’s existing was so classified that incumbent Defence Minister Viktar Khrenin was briefed on it only after his being appointed.

The ministry has not made any comment on the BYPOL report yet.

In early January, EUobserver ‘s Andrew Rettmann published an article, in which he suggested that Belarus’ former leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka had ordered murders in Germany as far back as 2012, citing emigre activist Ihar Makar who used to serve in Belarusian spetsnaz forces. The above-mentioned attacks might never have taken place, but Makar provided the Brussels-based media outlet with an audio file of the meeting which presumably happened in the KGB office in Minsk on 11 April 2012. During the conversation, a man whose voice bears a strong resemblance to that of the then KGB chief Vadzim Zaitsau was discussing the operations against Lukashenka’s opponents with officers from the KGB’s Alpha group. According to the conversants, it was the 7th department of the KGB anti-terrorist unit Alpha that was a ‘dirty jobs doer’. In turn, Ihar Makar claims that assassinating political rivals was among the tasks of the above-mentioned department which was set up in 2012.

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