Twenty-six suspects said arrested in riot case

A total of 26 people have been arrested on suspicion of training and preparing for a riot, Belarus’ major government-controlled media outlets said on Thursday night in a report quoting a KGB source.

Among the arrested suspects are activists of Bely Lehiyon (White Legion), which was described in the report as an extremist nationalist organization, and activists of Malady Front (Young Front).

The KGB has reportedly conducted 29 searches of the homes of suspects, seizing a Kalashnikov assault rifle, three carbines, two pistols, rounds of ammunition, hand grenades, clubs and telescopic truncheons, knives, axes, components and substances for making explosive devices, military uniform, bulletproof vests, helmets, NATO military first-aid kits, urban combat manuals and flags and various items bearing the emblems of volunteer military units fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The arrested Bely Lehiyon members are in fact “professionally trained militants aged 25 to 43” who planned to use the seized weapons during a protest scheduled to be held in Minsk on March 25, the KGB source was quoted as saying.

Miraslaw Lazowski and other Bely Lehiyon leaders allegedly planned to involve Malady Front activists led by Zmitser Dashkevich and “militants” who were expected to arrive from Ukraine, including members of UNA-UNSO, with which Bely Lehiyon had allegedly closely cooperated since the 1990s.

In addition, “extremist-minded” young foreigners were expected to take part in “actions in support of the organizers of the upcoming protest.”

The state STV television channel showed an unnamed young man described as an arrested Bely Lehiyon activist who said on camera that they “practiced moving in groups under combat conditions.”

“There were plans to study urban combat tactics because there was a report that pro-Russian forces might attack the procession of demonstrators and injure people,” the man said. “We were told to be ready to repulse the attack.”

The man allegedly led KGB officers to a Bely Lehiyon cache near the village of Tserabeynaye in the Stowbtsy district, Minsk region, in which “iron bars wrapped in sackcloth, two 100-liters containers with iron bars in them, and six F-1 and RGD-5 grenades with fuses” were discovered.