Senior Members Of Belarusian Opposition Leave For Ukraine

Three senior opposition organizers who went missing on September 7 and were feared to have been abducted by security forces to stifle ongoing mass protests against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka have crossed the border into neighboring Ukraine, according to Belarusian border authorities.

All three are key figures on the Coordination Council that has pressed for a peaceful transition of power since Belarusian election officials declared Lukashenka the runaway winner of an August 9 vote they say was fraudulent.

Coordination Council presidium member Maryya Kalesnikava, press secretary Anton Randyonkau, and executive secretary Ivan Kravtsov arrived at the Alyaksandrauka border checkpoint in the Homel region in the same car at around 5 a.m. on September 8.

Belarusian State Border Committee representative Anton Bychkousky confirmed their exit from the country to RFE/RL’s Belarus Service.