Security services suspected foreign citizens of conducting undercover operations aimed against the country, the KGB chief claims
Chairman of the State Security Committee (KGB) of Belarus Ivan Tertel © Viktor Tolochko; RIA Novosti
Reconnaissance and subversive activities aimed against Belarus have grown more intense, chairman of the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) Ivan Tertel claimed during a meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko and Head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin on Tuesday.
The KGB chief revealed that Belarusian security services have recently detained a number of citizens from Poland and some Baltic states who have been suspected of conducting undercover operations in Belarus.
“We have detained the traitors with whom they worked on our territory,” Tertel added.
He also stated that Poland is now trying to “achieve an exchange for one of these citizens by any means.”
However, Tertel noted that none of the persons detained by Polish authorities, who allegedly worked for Belarusian security services, have any connections to the KGB.
Tertel claimed that the KGB has also detained “dozens” of Ukrainian citizens who have been accused of attempting to commit terrorist attacks and carry out reconnaissance, subversive and espionage activities.
He added that Kiev has since turned to Minsk with a proposal to exchange these citizens, but noted that Belarus “does not need” any of the people the Ukrainian side has offered up. “We don’t need drug addicts, rapists and others who are serving sentences there,” Tertel said.
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The official also stated that the KGB expects a serious escalation in the region in the coming months, and that it has registered a number of militant training camps in Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states of Lithuania and Latvia.
“We know exactly all the recruitment points, we know who is doing it. We know their training camps, and personally know the instructors, as well as who is being trained in this regard and at what stage in their training they are,” Tertel said.
According to the KGB chief, these forces plan to carry out terrorist activities this spring on the territory of Belarus and that Western intelligence services are trying to “stir up the situation and organize an armed overthrow of the government.” He noted that Minsk is currently trying to bring these “destructive elements” to justice using international mechanisms.
