Maria Zakharova noted
that this story was presented "as almost an operation of Russia’s to
deploy some specially trained people to destabilize the neighboring
country".
SOLNECHNOGORSK
/outside Moscow/, August 8. /TASS/. The detention of 33 Russian nationals was a
carefully designed provocation of a third state, Russian Foreign Ministry
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday.
"The story about
33 Russian citizens detained in Belarus has been rocking the information space
for a week minimum. It was presented as almost a Russian operation to deploy
some specially trained people to destabilize our neighboring country. And what
has turned out? It happened to be a third country’s provocation as is now being
established based on the facts," she said.
"People have
lived on that for a week. Over a week, it was a talking point, articles were
written, conclusions made, an outlook on the future shaped," she said.
"How difficult it will be to give up the assertion that has been shaped in
those recent days, as it is hard to admit being wrong."
Zakharova also noted
that It is unacceptable to use the situation with Russian nationals detained in
Belarus for electoral purposes.
"Those people’s
guilt has not been proved. It is inadmissible to use these people for certain
electoral purposes or interests," the diplomat said.
"The main thing
is that it is inadmissible to use this situation, to promote - as it has
already been reiterated at all levels - that performance with participation of
Russian citizens for electoral goals."
Citing a source with
the Russian intelligence agencies, the Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda
reported on Friday that the Russian nationals, who were detained in Belarus in
late July, fell victim to a provocation orchestrated by the Ukrainian
intelligence agencies. The article depicts how the Russians were recruited. The
so-called ‘employers’ called from virtual numbers. In the phone calls, they
used false identities and fake positons in the Russian major oil company
Rosneft.
Belarus reported
about the detention of 33 Russian nationals in the early hours of July 29.
Minsk claimed they are employees of a foreign private military company.
According to latest reports, they are suspected of plotting mass unrest.
Russian Presidential
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier pointed out that Moscow did not yet have
compete information about the incident. Nor did Russia know about any illegal
activities that could have prompted their detention. He said that statements
that these developments were linked with the upcoming presidential elections in
Belarus were mere speculations.
Source: ITAR-TASS
09-08-2020
