Anton Gerashchenko: "Spy Network" – Belarusian-Russian Special Services' Invention

Relations between Ukraine and Belarus are deteriorating.

People's deputy of Ukraine from the Popular Front Anton Gerashchenko commented on the detention of the Ukrainian Radio journalist Pavel Sharoiko and the expulsion of the Counsellor of the Ukrainian Embassy Igor Skvortsov to the site Charter97.org:

– Belarusian special services showed by their actions their dependence on Russian special services.

The incident with the detention of Ukrainian citizen Pavel Grib on the territory of Belarus, which was performed not according to the Criminal Code procedure of Belarus, but the Russian FSB abducted him and transferred him to the territory of the Russian Federation, showed that Russian special services are doing what they want on the territory of Belarus.

As for the accusations of Pavel Sharoiko of creating an "espionage network", it is an attempt to create a negative image of Ukraine. Our nations are friends with each other, there are a large number of mixed marriages between Ukrainians and Byelorussians, we have a great historical past.

The question is whether this operation was conducted with or without the consent of Lukashenka.

When Lukashenka was paying a visit to Ukraine, he declared his readiness for cooperation. Of course, the "espionage network" is a fiction, there are more speculations than facts about it.

Such statements, which are based not on facts, but are derived from PR field, only harm relations between the two countries, – Gerashchenko said.

On November 17, the head of the National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine Zurab Alasania said that the journalist of the Ukrainian Radio Pavel Sharoiko was detained in Belarus. As it became known today, Belarusian special services detained the head of the Public Joint Stock Company Plant Weighting Alexander Skiba, who came on a business trip to the Minsk Tractor Plant.

On November 20, the Counsellor of the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus Igor Skvortsov was declared persona non grata.

On November 21, the Ukrainian authorities expelled the Belarusian diplomat from the country on the basis of the principle of reciprocity.