President Volodymyr Zelensky Instructs to Protect Belarusian Oppositionists in Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to provide additional protection to all Belarusian activists who arrived in Ukraine and who may be under threat due to their political or civil activities.

“Every Belarusian who can be a target for criminals due to their public political position must get special and reliable protection. The Security Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs must work out a clear algorithm for assessing possible risks, as well as a system of responses to these risks to eliminate any threat to people,” Zelensky said, the press service of the President’s Office informs.

The law enforcement officers already formed the list of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, for whom appropriate measures have already been taken to assess risks, provide additional support for their stay in Ukraine, and protection.

The given decision was made due to the tragic death of the Head of the Belarusian House in Ukraine Vitaliy Shishov in Kyiv and after the law enforcement officers had been informed about possible threats to other Belarusian activists.

As noted, the President expects a comprehensive investigation into all the circumstances of Shishov’s death, a prompt and complete verification of the information, as well as regular and sufficient informing of the public by the National Police about the progress of investigators in this case.

Bohdan Marusyak