DISINFO: Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine are involved in the establishment of sleeper cells in Belarus
SUMMARY
During the special operation of the Belarusian KGB aimed at crackdown of radicals, this service obtained evidence that some of the detained persons were involved in criminal activities – the KGB confiscated their weapons, ammunition and Nazi symbols. In early July, President Lukashenka informed about the “sleeper” cells, the so-called self-defence units, connected to Western countries – the USA, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Western attempts to organise a colour revolution in Belarus – Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine are presented here as countries with hostile and aggressive plans towards Belarus.
The claim that Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine are involved in some alleged “terrorist” activities against Belarus are unfounded. Poland is a neighbour of Belarus and it continues to support the Belarusian people. Poland respects the principles of international law and does not intervene in the domestic affairs of any country.
Following the presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020, which were widely perceived as rigged by large parts of society, protests erupted in the country. On 19 August 2020, the European Council called the Belarus elections neither free nor fair and on 2 October 2020, the Council imposed restrictive measures against 40 individuals identified as responsible for repression and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members, and journalists, as well as for misconduct of the electoral process. The Council added 15 members of the Belarusian authorities, including Alyaksandr Lukashenka, as well as his son and National Security Adviser Viktor Lukashenka, to the list of sanctions, on 6 November 2020.
See similar pro-Kremlin disinformation messages - Poland presented a plan of active interference in the domestic affairs of Belarus, Poland and Lithuania directly sponsor open extremist actions against Belarus, and the CIA will try to repeat a Maidan scenario in Belarus.