Cichanovská accused Lukashenko of high treason, called for sanctions – SME.sk

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Lukashenko has denied Belarusian troops in a Russian operation in Donbas.

PARIS. Belarusian opposition opposition leader Sviatlana Tsichanovskaya blames Western unrecognized President Alexander on Thursday Lukashenko from “high treason” when he had thousands of Russian soldiers attack neighboring Ukraine from Belarusian territory.

According to AFP, Cichanovskaya, considered by the West to be the real winner of the August 2020 presidential election in Belarus, has also called on the international community to impose sanctions on the current regime in Belarus for its role in invading Ukraine.

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There are about 30,000 Russian soldiers in Belarus

Russian troops reportedly arrived in Belarus more than two weeks ago for joint military exercises, but Lukashenko admitted on Thursday that he had proposed to the Russian Vladimir Putinto stay and attack Ukraine from the north.

“The illegitimate ruler brought in foreign troops and turned Belarus into a party to this armed conflict,” Cichanovskaya said.

In an interview with AFP on Wednesday, she said that there are currently about 30,000 Russian soldiers in Belarus, as well as a lot of military equipment. According to Cichanov, their presence threatens Belarus’ independence.

“We are ashamed of the role that our country’s territory has played in this war,” Cichanovska said on Thursday.

EU chief Charles Michel also called on Belarus not to “take part” in Russia’s military attack on Ukraine. He addressed the call to Minsk ahead of an extraordinary European Union summit to decide on new sanctions against Moscow.

Lukashenko denies the allegations

According to the BelTA agency, Lukashenko rejected media reports of the participation of Belarusian troops in the Russian special operation in Donbas.

“I read: ‘About five in the morning was the state border of Ukraine in the area Russia and Belarus attacked by Russian troops supported by Belarus’. Dirty! That’s too much. Our troops are not participating in the operation, “Lukashenko stressed, saying that he had asked for part of the joint group of troops in western Russia to be left in case of an” attack on Minsk “.

However, SKY News reported on Thursday afternoon that according to the Ukrainian army, four ballistic missiles were fired from Belarus.

Intelligence CNN television previously, it brought video footage of a convoy of tanks coming from Belarus crossing the Belarusian border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian military command also states that the Russian army’s operations in Ukraine are being carried out with the support of Belarusian soldiers.

At the same time, Lukashenko proposed Minsk as the scene of Russian-Ukrainian talks. He claims that “a total conflict in Ukraine can be prevented, we must sit at the negotiating table”.

He also said that in the near future it would be decided whether Belarus would recognize the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics in Donbas – the People’s Republic of Donetsk and the People’s Republic of Luhan as independent and sovereign states – as Moscow did this week.

“We will do it as it is necessary for us and for Russia,” he explained.