Lukashenko pardoned 123 political prisoners, including five Ukrainians
The President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has released 123 political prisoners, among them five Ukrainian citizens. A high level of cooperation between the intelligence services of Ukraine and the USA played a key role in this process.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted that thanks to active interaction with the United States and European partners, it was possible to secure the release of this number of people. Kyiv provides its American allies with all the necessary support for carrying out such humanitarian actions. According to Zelensky, Ukrainian intelligence is maximizing its efforts, aiming to free Ukrainian prisoners of war by the end of the year.
According to the Belarusian project Nexta, the pardoned individuals include well-known figures such as opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. This event occurred against the backdrop of negotiations that Lukashenko earlier held with US presidential special envoy John Cole, aimed at resolving the issue of releasing Belarusian political prisoners.
At the same time, it became known that the USA lifted some sanctions from the large Belarusian company “Belaruskalij”. This statement was made by the US Special Representative for Belarus John Cole after a meeting with Lukashenko.
Previously, on November 22, Lukashenko had already pardoned 31 Ukrainians who were in Belarusian prisons. Such an intensification of negotiation processes indicates the possibility of further improving relations and increasing the number of released prisoners.
| Date | Number of pardoned | Notably known figures |
|---|---|---|
| December 13 | 123 | Maria Kolesnikova, Ales Bialiatski |
| November 22 | 31 | — |
