The Russian Ambassador to Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev made a statement regarding the detention near Minsk of 32 Russians, whom the Belarusian authorities called fighters of the Wagner PMC, who had arrived to organize riots before the elections.
Mezentsev stressed that the detained Russian citizens were not involved in events related to the socio-political situation in Belarus and there were no grounds for interpretations of attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Belarus.
He promised that the embassy would protect the rights of the detained Russians, and also demanded that the competent authorities of Belarus provide evidence confirming the validity of the fact of the detention. In order to ensure access to the detainees, the Russian diplomatic mission sent a note to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.
The Russian ambassador noted that wearing camouflage uniforms and refusing to drink alcohol by Russians cannot be grounds for the actions of Belarusian law enforcement officers.
The ambassador also revealed the goals of the arrival of a group of Russians in Belarus. “The Russians detained in Belarus came there under a contract with one of the commercial firms registered in this country,” Mezentsev said, adding that the Russians could have been employees of a private security company that protects energy infrastructure and resources abroad and went to a third country.
“The men just missed the plane and therefore ended up in the Belorusochka sanatorium,” the ambassador explained.
Mezentsev also called it unacceptable to call into question the historical significance of bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and Belarus.