Belarus gives Ukraine list of detained Wagner mercenaries
Ukraine has received from Belarus a full list of detained contractors of the Russian private military company the Wagner Group and now is looking into their possible involvement in crimes against Ukraine, announced Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during an online briefing, reported Hromadske.
According to him, on July 30, the Ukrainian ambassador to Belarus met with the Foreign Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makei.
Kuleba specified that Belarus had no claims against Ukraine.
Belarusian diplomats handed over the list of detainees and asked the competent Ukrainian authorities to check whether these Wagner mercenaries were involved in crimes against Ukraine, in particular in military actions.
As Kuleba noted, Ukrainian law enforcement officers are already working on it. He added that there are more than seven militants with Ukrainian citizenship but did not provide the exact number.
Kyiv can ask for their extradition only when criminal cases have been opened against these persons in Ukraine. Among the detained Ukrainians, only one, Maxim Koshman, has such a criminal.
On July 29, 33 Russians, allegedly members of the Russian Private Military Company the Wagner Group, were detained near Minsk. Belarusian media reported that the country's law enforcement agencies were informed about the arrival of more than 200 militants in Belarus "to destabilize the situation during the election campaign." The Russians first stayed in one of the hotels in Minsk, and then moved to a resort near Minsk.
Deputy Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security Council Serhiy Kryvonos said that Ukraine can demand the extradition of its natives detained in Belarus along with other militants. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) confirmed its intention to request their extradition. Putin's spokesman said Russia does not recognize the Ukrainian citizenship of the detained militants.