Lukashenko: Ukrainian terrorist arrested in connection with Machulishchi incident
The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, spoke about the detention in Belarus of a terrorist of the Ukrainian special services, as well as his accomplices, who are involved in an attempt to sabotage an A-50 aircraft at the Machulishchi airfield. The Belarusian Head of State made the relevant statements during the presentation of state awards and epaulettes to senior officers, BelTA reports.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the men in uniform came to this festive event not empty-handed, but with a gift.
“This story can be called something incredible. Once again I apologise that I am moving away from official style and just on the eve of the holiday I am telling you not as President, but as an ordinary person about this exceptional ‘incredible’ gift,” he said.
Beginning
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that everything started eight or six months ago; this has still to be figured out. The place of events is Kiev.
“The Security Service of Ukraine, the leadership of the CIA [US special agency] are developing an operation against the Republic of Belarus behind our backs. A terrorist was trained. He is a Russian, with a Russian passport, but also has a Ukrainian passport. He was born in Krivoi Rog, and lived in Crimea. He has some relatives in Austria, some relatives stayed in Kiev. He was recruited by the Ukrainian special services supposedly in 2014. He is an IT specialist or a person who is well-versed in IT. He was trained to commit terrorist acts,” the President of Belarus shared the details.
He recalled the sabotage committed earlier against the Russian Engels airfield, “The terrorist attack against Russian aircraft in Engels was conducted several months ago. We saw the results of the terrorist attack filmed from space: damaged Russian aircraft of strategic importance. This was not entrusted to him [a saboteur thrown into Belarus]. It was entrusted to other groups that were carefully trained together with our so-called terrorist on the territory of Ukraine.”
The spy was trained by representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine, using the highest technologies.
“What we saw while implementing the operation in Belarus was really something incredible. The highest technologies were involved. He was trained in all this for more than one month. After preparation, he was routed [as they say in the KGB] to our territory,” the President said.
Route to Belarus
Of course, he could not pass through the border with Ukraine as it is closed. Therefore, the following route was chosen: Warsaw–Brest, Warsaw–Lodz–Riga–Pskov–Minsk.
Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus Anatoly Lappo, who was present at the event, to find the Belarusian border guard who did not let the terrorist into the territory of Belarus near Brest.
“The spy used various tricks, tears and crying, saying that if he doesn’t get through the border, something terrible would happen to him in Ukraine. But our border guard has done well. Although one could understand him from the humane point of view, our guy told him that if he travels to Belarus on a Ukrainian passport [he has two passports: Russian and Ukrainian], he has to be recorded here. However, he did not need it. He returned to Warsaw and was provided with an alternative route from Ukraine, as I said, Warsaw-Lodz-Riga. And there he crossed the Latvian-Russian border,” the Belarusian leader revealed the details.
Aleksandr Lukashenko continued, “Unfortunately, Russian border guards let him through the border though they shouldn’t have done it. He traveled using an internal Russian passport. They have a foreign passport, so he did not have the right to move across the border. Nevertheless, he moved to Pskov, and then arrived in Minsk by bus.”
Preparing for failed terrorist attack
“I won’t go into details about how the crime weapons, these drones, were transferred. They chose a small drone because if they used a large drone, our tracking systems, of course, would track it. But this was a small Chinese-made drone, which is also sold in our stores. We identified that it was sold in the USA (this Chinese drone), and then returned to Ukraine. These two drones were involved in Ukraine, this person was trained, as well as others who helped him. We will tell you about this later,” the President said.
“This terrorist attack was prepared, and you know the results. Fortunately, the plane did not suffer any significant damage, except for scratches and one hole in the aircraft body, which does not prevent the military aircraft from performing its duties. We showed you this aircraft. As I was informed, it even met the President when I was returning from Beijing. Nevertheless, we asked the Russians to take this aircraft for service and send us another one. And that’s exactly what happened,” the Head of State said.
On the aircraft
Aleksandr Lukashenko told what tasks the A-50 aircraft performed in Belarus, “What kind of aircraft is this? On the territory of Belarus, this is not a Russian aircraft. I asked the President of Russia to send an air group enabling us to perform control along the perimeter of our Belarusian borders and to develop certain skills in a joint Belarusian-Russian group.”
“This aircraft never flew into the territory of Ukraine, never even approached the border (it doesn’t need it) of Poland, Lithuania – all these scoundrels that are currently working against Belarus. We worked very carefully. We didn’t give anyone a reason for this,” underlined the President.
History of detention
“After the terrorist attack and an attempt to blow up an expensive reconnaissance aircraft A-50 routes were created to withdraw him [the terrorist] from the territory of Belarus. We understood that this was a very valuable person for them,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
“Even before my trip to China (you probably guessed it), the most stringent orders were given by me to the country’s security forces (here they are). Then I shouted at you, using obscene words. It cancelled out today but don’t forget,” said the Head of State.
The borders of Belarus were blocked.
“Meanwhile, we understood that our main problem is the Belarusian-Russian border. We have no military units there, as there is no border between Russia and Belarus. Our main task was to prevent his penetration into Russia. It would be very difficult to find him in huge Russia. We understood this, therefore hundreds, and maybe thousands of people, military of all units, were raised to close Belarus,” the Belarusian leader said.
Certain actions were taken and an anti-terrorist headquarters was deployed under the leadership of KGB Chairman Ivan Tertel.
“We provoked the Ukrainians, showing them that we were carrying out some kind of operations there. They succumbed to our movements and actually showed us by their actions where they want to take this terrorist out. Of course, Lappo covered the border. They noticed that they could not cross the border to get through and started using a fallback option to get him out of here. But before taking him out, it was necessary to create a new channel,” the President said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that he was astonished by the use of the highest technology in this operation, “They created a special programme for him [for the terrorist] (most likely, the CIA officers – Americans), they handed him special phones, on which they tracked his every step in audio and video mode. They saw where he was moving, with whom he meets and talks, etc. There was also a parallel phone. This is very important: the second thing that surprised me. In this regard we made a little mistake when he left this phone (it was unknown to us) in the apartment, took a parallel phone, and they already controlled him by this phone.”
“This was an order from the Ukrainian Security Service officers: when we follow the tracks into this apartment, they will immediately see us. And so it happened. At that moment, to be honest, being in China, I began to doubt after your report that we would be able to quickly find him,” the President shared the details.
He continued, “My second incredible surprise was when you – analysing thousands of calls, negotiations, meetings and conversations of various scoundrels outside and inside our country – figured him out. You just figured him out sitting in the office. Then you went to this point, when he lay down to the bottom, waiting for a new route, and arrested him in the very first apartment – near Borovlyany in some mansion of a garden association there. There was a printing house with various kinds of white-red-white rags and other literature in the basement. He lived there. You can draw a conclusion. What I’ve always told you that we can never settle down.”
“Commands from the Ukrainian Security Service were sent to fugitives abroad (in this case, in Poland), from there they contacted (in this case it was a doctor) with the scoundrels here and helped him hide. Moreover, both at the initial and at the final stage of our operation. Probably, God also helped us and a miracle happened. We figured out and detained him thanks to our investigators – the State Security Committee (KGB), the Interior Ministry and border guards. To date, more than twenty accomplices who are on the territory of Belarus have been detained. The rest are hiding there [abroad]."
Mop-up operation
“So that there are no conversations, everyone should understand, and I do not deny this that I ordered a few days ago (even before this operation) to carry out a brutal mop-up operation throughout the country. This is a lesson for us. They hid and sit, waiting for something. It will be like in 1941, when the fascists came here, and there were these cells and their accomplices, who put a bandage on their arm, a Schmeisser submachine gun on their shoulder and acted together with these fascists. Nothing has changed. Therefore, we must find them,” said the Belarusian leader. “I want to tell them to get ready because we are already going to them. Our guys are already on the threshold, let them get ready. The best option for them is to come with their hands up and surrender. It will be salvation for them. We will find them all. We will simply clean them out of our society.”
“They have not understood anything over these two and a half years. They have not understood that we treat them in a human way: if you change your mind, come back. And this does not cancel anything. There are stupefied there, let them return if they repent. Applications are already coming in. But those who committed, and especially are committing now such offenses and are accomplices of terrorists, we will find them,” the Head of State said.
What they counted on
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that the actions to undermine the aircraft had no military significance.
“Even if something happened to this aircraft, it is not the only one. Everything was arranged for the media. Everything was connected like links in one chain: a terrorist attack in Machulishchi, and in the Bryansk Region, when sabotage-reconnaissance group from the territory of Ukraine – about forty, or maybe more, scoundrels – entered, shot civilians, and wounded a child (you know this). These were links of the same chain in order to demonstrate to the West what they are still capable of. They need money, and our fugitives expected to receive funding for this,” the President said.
He instructed to tell about all the details in the media, “Show people all the details, show these vile people who are sitting in Poland and Ukraine, and who are ready to destroy for a little money. Do not betray the Motherland, but to destroy our people. We must show in dynamics how they shouted that ‘all those who committed a terrorist attack in Machulishchi are already abroad’. By this, they pushed us to believe that they are here. If they were abroad, they would have shown them. Then I told the security forces that the spy is still here. They just made a blunder, and we actively began to search here.”
Conclusions about Zelenskyy
“It’s good, it’s a brilliant operation. It’s incredible to identify all the accomplices and detain them in just 4-5 days. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. But in no case should we relax,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. “There is only one conclusion that can be drawn up. I once thought that Ukraine needs peace and that Zelenskyy is rooting for his people. President Zelenskyy is just a scum. Such operations are not carried out without the consent of the head of the country and the commander-in-chief. I am telling you this as President.”
“He is a scum because he runs around Belarus, sends people to us and asks to conclude a non-aggression pact, saying that they have no problems with us. I responded to him that we are not going to attack but he asks to sign an agreement under the UN auspices that Belarus won’t attack Ukraine. You heard all my statements. And at this time ... Well, the challenge was thrown,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
At the same time, he stressed that Belarus does not intend to be drawn into the war, “If they are counting (I know that they want to draw us into the war at the command of the Americans)… If you think that by throwing this challenge, you will tomorrow drag us into the war, which is now going on all over Europe, you are mistaken.”
“I want to emphasise once again, especially to the local scoundrels and those who ran away: they are all identified and we will find them abroad. I repeat to the fugitives: get ready, we have already come to you. Don’t howl and don’t release posts in these messengers. We have strong nerves, we know what needs to be done,” the Head of State said.
