The investigation opened a criminal case on the preparation of terrorist acts in connection with the detention of Russians in Belarus. This was stated by the Secretary of State of the Security Council of the republic Andrei Ravkov on Thursday, July 30, reports RIA Novosti.
It is noted that the detainees could face up to 20 years in prison.
On the eve of the Belarusian media reported on the detention in Minsk of 32 employees of a foreign private military company. According to some reports, another person was detained later in the south of Belarus.
The head of the State Security Committee of Belarus, Valery Vakulchik, specified that the detainees are employees of the Wagner PMC. The events were linked to the alleged arrival of more than 200 people in Belarus “to destabilize the situation” during the election campaign.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry notified the Russian embassy in Minsk about the detention of Russian citizens.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko instructed to contact the relevant structures of Russia for clarifications in connection with the incident.
On July 30, Russian Ambassador to Minsk Dmitry Mezentsev was summoned to a meeting at the Belarusian Foreign Ministry on the case of detained Russians.
