Belarusian Investigative Committee says it's aware of 120 incidents with Belarusian truck drivers in Ukraine

MINSK. June 15 (Interfax) - Belarusian law enforcement agencies know about 120 incidents involving Belarusian truck drivers in Ukraine, including robberies and the confiscation of trucks, Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Belarus Anatoly Vasilyev said.

"The information received from the Investigative Committee's branches for the regions and Minsk indicates that divisions of the Investigative Committee have already recorded 120 such facts... Besides the fact that drivers were trapped inside the foreign country, they also encountered robberies, both physical and psychological violence, illegal detention, maltreatment, hardship, etc. I can assure you that such facts do exist, and they have been recorded. A legal assessment is already being given to it," the Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA quoted Vasilyev as saying.

"The Ukrainian side may well appeal a great deal to the fact that hostilities are ongoing in its territory, but even in such a situation, all relevant norms must be adhered to, confiscation-related documents must be drawn up, etc. But where are these documents? Where are these acts? Why threaten with weapons? Why beat them up? Investigators have information that trucks were seized, goods were stolen, and cargoes were sold on trading platforms for the sake of personal gain. What do the army's needs have to do with that," Vasilyev said.

"The criminal world in the territory of Ukraine has risen its head and is wreaking havoc taking advantage of the fact the authorities of the country are not in a position now to maintain public security and order even in the western regions," he said.

"By the way, they themselves confirmed it recently, officially stating that crime levels have increased drastically," Vasilyev said.

"The amount of damage caused as a result of seizing transport vehicles stands at almost 40 million Belarusian rubles. Just think about it. It is enormous financial damage for transport companies and organizations. This so-called martial law has given a free hand to criminal cells and various criminal groups. It so happens now [in Ukraine] that any criminal who is dressed in clothes similar to a uniform and who has taken weapons can cite the army's needs as an excuse and can commit crimes unpunished," he said.

The largest number of trucks have been seized in western Ukraine, and there have also been several such instances in the border and customs control zones of Ukrainian border crossings, he said.

Investigators are gathering information about such facts and are doing everything they can to ensure that those guilty are held to account, Vasilyev said.

"Information about the scope of damage caused by such crimes is being added to these materials. So are notarized copies of documents for vehicles that transported cargo, GPS tracked information about trucks' movement, available photo and video materials related to all unlawful seizures of property in the territory of the adjoining state," he said.

"We believe that in this case, interaction on this issue with other states within Interpol may produce a positive result. As it has already been said, information about each vehicle stolen in Ukraine is being added to the vehicle search database of Interpol's Secretariat General, and, if it is found by the relevant agencies of a foreign state, we will demand that this transport vehicle be returned to its owner in line with international agreements. To put it simply, we, for our part, will do everything possible to ensure that property is returned to its owners and that criminals do not go unpunished," Vasilyev said.