From the registrations, the Ukrainian services then selected suspected (war) criminals, who were offered fake contracts for work in Venezuela. A total of 28 Russians suspected of committing crimes in Ukraine were approached, CNN writes. In order not to arouse suspicion, five others who were not suspected were also selected.
The Russians were told they would be flown from Russia via Turkey to Venezuela. But in reality, the mercenaries would be put on a flight to Ukraine, where they could be arrested.
Manipulating elections
But the Ukrainian authorities encountered a problem: Covid-19. Russian flights to Ukraine were temporarily suspended due to the pandemic, but flights to neighboring country and Russia’s ally Belarus continued. The mercenaries were therefore first lured to the Belarusian capital Minsk, so that they could still be sent to Ukraine via that route.
In Belarus, however, a second problem is said to have arisen: the Belarusian security services tracked down the Russian mercenaries and suspected that the group had been sent by Moscow to manipulate the Belarusian elections. The mercenaries were subsequently arrested by the Belarusian services.
Diplomatic turmoil
The arrests sparked diplomatic unrest between Russia and Belarus. The president of Ukraine, Zelensky, is said to have asked Belarus to send the mercenaries to Ukraine, but Belarus refused. The men were eventually sent back to Russia, CNN reports. Zelensky also denies that his country was involved in the operation.
A trial is underway in the Netherlands against four suspects in the case of the downing of flight MH17. This week, nine relatives told their story in court. In 2018, the Dutch state formally held Russia responsible for the deployment of the Buk installation that brought down the aircraft. Moscow has always denied any involvement.
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