Belarus claims to have thwarted anti-Russian terror attack

According to Russian state media, Belarusian secret services thwarted a group of people planning to stage a terrorist attack at a railway station

 MEMBERS OF the Belarusian military take part in a Victory Day parade last May in Minsk, marking the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. (photo credit: VASILY FEDOSENKO / REUTERS)
MEMBERS OF the Belarusian military take part in a Victory Day parade last May in Minsk, marking the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
(photo credit: VASILY FEDOSENKO / REUTERS)

Belarus has claimed to have prevented a terror attack from taking place against Russian servicemen, Russian state media RIA reported on Thursday afternoon.

According to a video shared on their Telegram channel, Belarusian secret services thwarted a group of people planning to stage a terrorist attack at a railway station using Molotov cocktails, as well as planning to steal weapons from Russian soldiers.

According to the state media outlet, an unnamed organization recognized to be "terrorists" by Belarus called on citizens across the country to block trains transporting military cargo to Moscow.

Following this, the Belarusian internal affairs ministry opened a criminal case against them as multiple people began destroying railroad equipment and disrupting travel.

The people detained could face up to 20 years in prison, according to RIA. 

 Service members take part in military exercises held by the armed forces of Russia and Belarus at the Gozhsky training ground in the Grodno region, Belarus, in this handout photo released February 12, 2022.  (credit: LEONID SCHEGLOV/BELTA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Service members take part in military exercises held by the armed forces of Russia and Belarus at the Gozhsky training ground in the Grodno region, Belarus, in this handout photo released February 12, 2022. (credit: LEONID SCHEGLOV/BELTA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Belarus has served as a launching point for Russia's attacks on Ukraine since their initial invasion last month, and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has reportedly told his defense ministry that it must preveny any attempts to cut off Russian supply lines and "strike at Russians from the rear."

Back in February, shortly before Russia's initial invasion, Russian state media site TASS reported that an attempted terrorist attack had been thwarted in Luhansk, a city controlled by pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region.

According to the report, an improvised explosive device was discovered in a trash can in the city where a rally for the Russian Memorial Day of soldiers-internationalists, which commemorates those soldiers who fell while operating abroad, was planned.

The Ministry of State Security of the Luhansk People's Republic stated that the alleged explosive device could have caused civilian casualties if it had not been found and neutralized.

Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.