The US State Department called “absolutely false” statements about the involvement of the United States in the attempts to eliminate the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. This was announced on April 18 by an official representative of the State Department.
“Any suggestion that the US government was behind this or was involved in the attempted assassination of Lukashenka is absolutely false,” he told TASS.
According to a foreign ministry spokesman, Washington is ready to provide consular assistance to an American citizen who was detained on suspicion of preparing a coup in Belarus. Thus, a representative of the State Department commented on the detention of lawyer Yuri Zenkovich, who has dual citizenship – the United States and Belarus.
“We have seen reports of a US citizen detained in Minsk. Whenever a US citizen is detained abroad, we are ready to provide all the necessary consular services, ”he said.
On April 17, Lukashenka spoke about the arrest of a group that was planning an attempt on the life of him and his children. He stressed that the American special services were involved in this. According to the president, an attempt to organize a rebellion and then a “creeping coup” failed in Belarus.
On the same day, the FSB of Russia announced the arrest of those suspected of planning a coup in Belarus and an attempt on the life of Lukashenka and his family. According to the department, the suspects were consulted in the United States and Poland. Among the detainees are Belarusian political scientist Alyaksandr Feduta and lawyer Yuriy Zenkovich.
The investigative bodies of Belarus opened a criminal case against Feduta and Zenkovich on the grounds of the crime “Conspiracy or other actions committed with the aim of seizing state power” of the Criminal Code of Belarus.
On April 18, the head of the investigation department of the Belarusian KGB, Konstantin Bychek, said that Zenkovich was connected with the American special services and tried to recruit military men who were ready to take part in the overthrow of the Belarusian government for money. Yuri Zenkovich opposed the Belarusian authorities. The lawyer was a member of the Belarusian Popular Front party. Zenkovich left for the United States in the mid-2000s, where he began to build a legal career.