Belarusian opposition reports Lukashenko regime's involvement in deportation of Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories

The National Anti-Crisis Government of Belarus has announced that Belarus is involved in Russia's war crime of deporting Ukrainian children. The opposition sent relevant reports, in particular, to the European Parliament, the US Department of State, the Foreign Ministries of European countries, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 

This is a statement of the head of the National Anti-Crisis Management of Belarus, Pavel Latushko, in an interview with the British broadcaster Times Radio.

We are talking about 2,600 children deported to Belarus since last year. The opposition has gathered evidence of the whereabouts of Ukrainian children: two in the Minsk region and one in the Gomel region. 

The anti-crisis government claims to be in possession of documents signed by Lukashenko. These include organisational and administrative documents, photos and videos indicating the number of children being transferred, their places of residence, and the persons responsible for these crimes.

"Lukashenko personally signed resolutions and all financial documents that provide financial support of children's transfer, and we have all these documents at our disposal," Latushko said.

According to Pavel Latushko, a pro-government figure, Paralympian Alexey Talay, took part in the transfer of Ukrainian children. He travelled to the Russian-occupied territories several times to organise the removal of children. In addition, the opposition has evidence that Belaruskali, a potash fertiliser supplier, is also financing the deportation of Ukrainian children to Belarus.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in an appeal to the parliaments and governments of foreign countries to condemn the deportation of Ukrainian children, reported that more than 1,000 Ukrainian children were being held in the Republic of Belarus "within the framework of decisions of the self-proclaimed president of the Republic of Belarus, as well as individual decisions of the Union State".

On April 27, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution recognising the forced transfer of Ukrainian children and adults to Russia as genocide.