MINSK, 8 September (BelTA) – In an interview with Russian mass media Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made a few comments about the incident involving Maria Kolesnikova, a member of the Presidium of the opposition's Coordination Council, at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “I cannot give more details because I've just received the report. She and two friends of hers (either drivers or friends or strangers) fled to Ukraine today. They had taken care of things in advance. They showed passports at our checkpoint and the border guard and the customs service let them through.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that the distance between the Belarusian border checkpoint and the Ukrainian one is roughly 8km. Belarus had stepped up security in its section of the border. “Naturally they were stopped there. The car sped up and she may have been thrown out of the car while it was in motion… Naturally our border guard apprehended her as is right and proper,” the head of state noted. “While those [travel companions of Maria Kolesnikova] went across the border via the Ukrainian border checkpoint. As far as I know now, the Ukrainians apprehended them. We are now in negotiations in order to return them to our custody.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko added that there had been no reasons to prevent Maria Kolesnikova and her travel companions from leaving the country at the main Belarusian border checkpoint because all the necessary documents had been in order. However, they tried to break through the auxiliary border checkpoint, which means they violated the state border crossing procedure.
“I wondered why they wanted to go to Ukraine instead of Lithuania or Poland as they usually go there. I am told one of the relatives is in Ukraine. I cannot say for sure,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added. “Because I don't know everything yet. We will look into what happened.”
