According to the opposition in exile, two Belarusians destroyed a Russian reconnaissance plane near Minsk and then fled. Ruler Lukashenko names a Ukrainian as the perpetrator and reports more than 20 arrests.
After the attack on a Russian military plane at an airfield in Belarus, the country's authorities have arrested more than 20 people. The main suspect works for the Ukrainian secret service, the Belta news agency quoted Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, who is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"More than 20 of his accomplices" were also arrested, the others went into hiding, said Lukashenko. The Belarusian exile opposition reported at the end of February that a Russian military aircraft had been destroyed at the airfield in Matschulishchi near the capital Minsk. According to media reports, it is said to have been an A-50 reconnaissance aircraft.
The Kremlin did not comment on the incident; Lukashenko confirmed that the attack was aimed at an A-50. However, the machine was not badly damaged. About the main suspect, the ruler said that he has Russian and Ukrainian citizenship and was recruited by the Ukrainian services in 2014.
The attack was carried out with the help of a small drone to avoid radar detection, Lukashenko said. "Hundreds, if not thousands" of members of the Belarusian security forces have been deployed to search; Finally, the suspect was arrested in a basement. That this was successful is like a "miracle". The Belarusian exile opposition, on the other hand, said the attack on the plane was carried out by two Belarusians who then left the country.
Belarus is not directly involved in Russia's offensive in Ukraine, but a year ago it provided Moscow with its territory as a launch pad for attacking the neighboring country. According to information from Kiev, Moscow uses Belarusian airfields to fly attacks on Ukraine.
