On Monday morning, Belarusian protest leader Maria Kolesnikova was “abducted by masked men” and taken away in a dark-coloured speedy van, in central Minsk capital city of Belarusia.
As the leader, who is a member of the presidium of the Coordination Council formed during the 2020 Belarusian protests in opposition to the rule of the president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, was driven away, two of her allies identified as Anton Rodnenkov and Ivan Kravtsov disappeared from the spot, international media reported.
However, 24 hours later, Belarusian authorities said that Kolesnikova, 38, was “arrested while trying to cross the border into Ukraine” with two other opposition figures who also were thought to have gone missing.
Apart from being a member of the opposition coordination council, Kolesnikova is the last of the tree remaining female politicians in Belarus who have joined the forces before the August 9, presidential election as an attempt to challenge veteran incumbent Alexander Lukashenko.
She has played a major role in not only critiquing Lukashenko but also has been an active participant of the demonstrations and strikes taking place against the alleged rigging of his re-election.
Reacting to the allegation, Lukashenko accuses the foreign powers of trying to dismantle his power in a revolution.
His response towards them has been in the form of “crackdowns along with torture” as alleged by some detainees.
Lukashenko, who has been in power for the last 26 years, denied the allegation and accused foreign powers of trying to topple him in a revolution.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of people demonstrated across the country demanding Lukashenko step down. the country;s armed forces personnel detained 633 protesters.
Lukashenko has been offered with support by Russian President Vladimir Putin, promising him to provide the police to support him, reported international media.
Condemning the abduction, Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Antanas Linkevičius drew a parallel between the abduction with something what Stalin-era secret police in the Soviet Union would have done.
Amid the havoc, another leader activist of the country, Olga Kovalkova, who is also a member of the praesidium of the Coordination Council of Belarus, claimed that she had been told that she would “face an arrest” if she’d stay in Belarus.
As reported by the international media organizations, the anarchy-like situation in Belarus has had a deep impact on the country’s economy.
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