KGB refuting Belarusian TV

The Committee on State Security (KGB) of Belarus doesn’t confirm the fact of uncovering an espionage network acting under the cover of U.S. embassy in Minsk.

“I have no information concerning the fact,” Valer Nedachaeu, head of the KGB department for public relations and information, said to ITAR-TASS.

As the Charter’97 press center has already informed in the material “Belarusian TV against FBI,” a yesterday’s item on Belarusian TV (BT) said the US Embassy in Minsk had organised a spy network of citizens of the country under the cover of antiterrorism protection. According to BT, the diplomatic mission created a group of 10 people, who collected and passed information to the U.S. side. The collected data, that might damage Belarus, were passed to the U.S. embassy to a FBI agent. Most members of the group were uncovered on 13 March in a safe house near the embassy, the TV channel stated.

An espionage scandal has appeared against a background of recently perturbed Belarus-U.S. relations.

Firstly the U.S. imposed additional sanctions against Belneftekhim enterprises, demanding the official Minsk to release political prisoners, including former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin.

7 March the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus recalled its ambassador to the U.S. Mikhail Khvastou for consultations and recommended head of American diplomatic mission in Minsk Karen Stewart to leave Belarus on the same purpose. She was recalled to Washington on 12 March. Then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus recommended to reduce staffing of the U.S. embassy in Minsk, and the U.S. embassy suspended entry visa issuing to Belarusian citizens on 19 March.