Ukraine has several options for a "mirror" response to Belarus for the hand-over to Russia of the mercenaries with the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), detained earlier.

According to UNIAN, a source in diplomatic circles told the RBC news agency such options include a temporary suspension of cooperation on extradition issues, cancellation of the Forum of the Regions of Ukraine and Belarus in Grodno scheduled for October, as well as freezing the work of various bilateral groups.

According to the source, suspending the extradition deal would be a mirror response to Minsk's demarche in the matter of Ukraine's appeal to extradite Wagner PMC mercenaries who had fought against Ukrainian Army as part of Russian occupation forces in Donbas.

At the same time, the diplomat said Belarusian law enforcement address their Ukrainian counterparts with inquiries more often than Ukrainians do. 

On July 29, a group of PMC Wagner troops were detained in Belarus – 32 were apprehended outside Minsk and another one – detained in the country's south. Among them were those who had fought against Ukraine in Donbas war.

According to Belarusian law enforcement agencies, they had been tipped about the deployment of over 200 fighters to destabilize the country amid the election campaign.

Belarus turned to the Ukrainian authorities to verify the detainees' involvement in crimes committed in Ukraine. On July 30, Ukraine began consultations with Belarus on their extradition.

21 August 2020 / 11:45