KGB investigates 138 Belarusians suspected of fighting in eastern Ukraine
The Chairman of Belarus' State Security Committee (KGB), Valery Vakulchik, stated that the KGB is investigating the activities of 138 Belarusian citizens who are thought to have been combatants in Ukraine's eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
He specified that there are people who are believed to be involved in the conflict in the Donbas and are fighting alongside both Ukrainian military forces and separatists of the self-proclaimed Republics.
According to Vakulchik, they will be charged as mercenaries.
In April, Belarus adopted a law that made it illegal for Belarusians to fight as mercenaries in foreign military conflicts; regardless of whether they fought for a fee or for ideological reasons, they will be charged as mercenaries.
On May 5th, a citizen of Belarus, Taras Avatarov, was sentenced to five years in jail. Avatarov was accused of smuggling weapons and engaging in illegal actions in regards to ammunition and firearms.