14 August 2020, Friday, 13:44 91

Ukrainian Alioshyna Detained In Belarus Released, Negotiations To Release Ukrainian Shyshko Underway - Zelenskyy

Даша Зубкова

In addition to the volunteers of the Vostok SOS public organization Kostiantyn Reutskyi and Yevhen Vasyliev, who were detained in Belarus, Ukrainian Oksana Alioshyna was also released and negotiations to release Ukrainian Roman Shyshko are underway.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this on Facebook, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

“Today, after our persistent actions, Ukrainians Yevhen Vasyliev, Kostiantyn Reutskyi and Oksana Alioshyna were finally released,” he wrote.

Zelenskyy added that they were detained on August 12 illegally, since they did not violate any laws of Belarus and were there, as human rights defenders and journalists, solely to obtain reliable information about the events in order to comment on them in the public media space.

“Negotiations are also underway to release another Ukrainian - Roman Shyshko, who is in the detention center in the city of Brest,” the President said.

He also called on Belarus to refrain from illegal detentions and violence.

“We are really not indifferent. We are really worried about everything that happens in Belarus. Belarus has always been a good friend and partner of Ukraine. And it is important for us that Belarusians find an exceptionally peaceful and democratic way out of the socio-political conflict. So that Belarus develops in the future and was a democratic, economically strong and independent country," he wrote.

As Ukrainian News Agency reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asks Ukrainians to refrain from traveling to Belarus until the situation stabilizes.

On August 9, the presidential election was held in Belarus, in which, according to the Central Election Commission, the voter turnout was 84%, and the current President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has been heading the country since 1994, won with more than 80% of the votes.

Tens of thousands of people in Belarus went to protest, and during clashes with law enforcement officers more than 7,000 were detained, there are wounded and killed.

In addition to the abovementioned four citizens of Ukraine, earlier in Belarus during the protests, a Ukrainian photojournalist was beaten, but he had already been discharged from the hospital, and 9 Ukrainian citizens were detained but had already been released.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that the Belarusian authorities do not inform Ukraine about the presence of Ukrainian citizens among the detained and their whereabouts.