Lukashenko pardons 31 Ukrainians and hands them over to Kyiv - the regime says it's «at Ukraine's request» and as part of agreements with Trump
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 31 citizens of Ukraine, as stated by his spokeswoman Natalia Eismont. According to her, the released Ukrainians are already being handed over to representatives of Ukraine.
Lukashenka's regime claims that the decision was made «at the request of the Ukrainian side» and allegedly «in furtherance of the agreements reached between US President Donald Trump and Lukashenka». As of now, there is no official confirmation from Ukraine.
What is known about the released prisoners
Most Ukrainians have been detained by the Belarusian security services in recent years on trumped-up or politically motivated charges, including «espionage», «extremism» or «disturbing public order». Some of them were held in pre-trial detention for over a year.
Eismont said that all 31 people were «personally pardoned by Lukashenko» and handed over to the Ukrainian side «without additional conditions».
Political context
The statement about the «Lukashenko-Trump agreement» may indicate an attempt by Minsk:
to show its role in the new geopolitical negotiations;
to receive political dividends by demonstrating a «humane gesture»;
influence the US position on sanctions.
Analysts note that the regime uses political prisoners as a bargaining tool - both with the West and Ukraine.
The Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on whether she actually applied to Minsk for a pardon.
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