Ukrainian Says Belarusian Border Guards Recruited Him

They demanded from the man data on smuggling amber.

A resident of Ukraine says that he has been recruited by a Belarusian border guard in order to provide information about smuggling amber, moving firearms and about employees of the Ukrainian border service. This became known from the decision of the Rovno City Court of Ukraine, which entered into force on October 18, tut.by writes.

The prosecutor appealed to the court with a petition: he asked to release the Ukrainian from criminal responsibility for preparing for high treason. This is possible if a person confesses himself and has not committed a crime yet (the same principle works in Belarus).

The Ukrainian said in the SSU that allegedly back in October 2017, at the Belarusian checkpoint of Nevel he was recruited by a lieutenant colonel from the operational-search department of the Pinsk frontier detachment of the SBC of Belarus. For conspiracy, he called himself by a pseudonym, Artur.

According to the foreigner, on that day he received a task: to find information about those involved in the illegal mining and smuggling of amber from Zarichne district of Ukraine to Belarus, as well as:

“To choose candidates among the citizens of Ukraine for recruitment in order to organize provocation of the employees of the [Belarusian] checkpoint of Nevel, offering them unlawful benefits,” – the court decision says.

The third meeting was held in Pinsk district in January 2018, the “lieutenant colonel” asked to collect information about his colleagues from the Ukrainian operational-investigative department of the state border committee and their work in Zarichne district, as well as about the Lutsk border detachment of Ukraine.

“If such information is received [the“ lieutenant colonel ”] promised to resolve any issues regarding the crossing of the state border of the Republic of Belarus and the movement of goods from Ukraine,” – the document states.

The court took into account that although the Ukrainian agreed to cooperate with “mercenary motives,” in July 2018, he applied to the SSU and admitted relations with a representative of the neighboring state. It was decided to release the man from criminal responsibility, which threatened him with up to 15 years of imprisonment, and to close the case.

We remind that in December 2017 a similar case was considered by a court in Chernihiv region of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian, at the Belarusian checkpoint of Novaya Huta, KGB officers recruited him under the threat of deportation and prohibition of entry into Belarus. They allegedly wanted from the man information about the work of law enforcement officers and border guards in the neighboring country, as well as about local residents – participants of the ATO. The person involved addressed the Security Service of Ukraine, and the court released him from criminal responsibility, given that he had not completed the task.