Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko on Monday at a meeting with the Belarusian Ambassador in Moscow Vladimir Semashko pointed out the baselessness of the pretext under which 33 Russians were arrested in the Republic. the Russian Foreign Ministry reports.
The diplomats discussed the state and prospects of bilateral Russian-Belarusian relations. "Special attention was paid to the situation with the recent detention of 33 Russian citizens in Belarus," the Ministry informed. "The Russian side stated that the arrest of Russian citizens made under groundless and far-fetched pretexts did not correspond to the spirit of fraternal allied relations between the two countries and peoples."
The Russian Federation insists on an objective investigation of the circumstances of the detention of Russians in Belarus and calls for their release as soon as possible. The Russian Ministry stressed that Russia "has never interfered and is not going to interfere in the internal processes of other states, especially in Belarus," which is Moscow's closest friend and ally. "We insist on an objective investigation by our Belarusian partners in close cooperation with our Russian colleagues of all the circumstances of the incident and the speedy release of the detained Russian citizens," the Ministry stressed.
On July 29, the Belarusian authorities announced the detention of 33 Russian citizens who, according to their information, were "militants" of the private military company Wagner. IC of Belarus specified that the detainees were suspected of preparing mass riots in the Republic. At the same time, according to the special services, earlier information was received about the arrival in Belarus of "more than 200 militants to destabilize the situation during the election campaign". Presidential elections in the Republic are scheduled for August 9.
Press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov earlier said that with a high degree of confidence, it could be said that the Russians detained in Belarus were employees of the private security company, were in transit and missed their flight. The detainees, according to Peskov, did not commit illegal actions, and Russia has not interfered and does not interfere in the internal affairs of Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of the Security Council, as Peskov clarified, expect to soon clarify all the circumstances of the detention of the Russians and their release.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Minsk Dmitry Mezentsev said that the Russians arrived at the Belorusochka resort near Minsk because they were late for a flight to a third country. According to him, they intended to fly from Minsk to Istanbul on July 25 and did not plan to stay in the Republic for a long time, and much later they planned to return to the Russian capital from another state also by plane, bypassing the territory of Belarus.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from RIA Novosti, TASS