Ukrainian experts fear to visit Minsk after Pavel Grib’s abduction
Photo: svaboda.org. From left to right: head of Belarus Security Blog project Andrei Parotnikau, Polish MP Michał Kamiński and UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka
Ukrainian representatives have not attended the international round-table discussion dedicated to regional security and the military exercise West-2017. The discussion was initiated by the opposition United Civil Party.
Verkhovna Rada MP Dmitry Tymchuk and political scientist Yury Butusov were supposed to represent Ukraine at the forum, UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka told Radio Liberty.
"Both of them wanted to arrive in Minsk and agreed to take part in the event. However, Ukrainian citizen Pavel Grib was detained in Belarus and handed over to Russians which made them refuse to go to Minsk due to personal security issues,” Lyabedzka explained.
Pavel Grib, 19, disappeared in Belarus at the end of August. The son of member of the civil council of the Ukrainian Border Service Igor Grib went to Homel to meet with a Russian girl he had got to know in social media. Pavel Grib is now accused of involvement in terrorism in Russia. He has been found in Krasnodar detention centre.
The girl has confessed that she was fulfilling a task given to her by Russian special services. A criminal case in connection with the disappearance of the Ukrainian on the territory of Belarus may be started, the Belarusian authorities announced.
