Lukashenko Faces Potential Criminal Case in Ukraine

The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the prosecutor general to consider opening criminal proceedings against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, according to a letter published on Tuesday.

The request followed a petition by the exiled Belarusian Democratic Forum, which in May urged Kyiv to prosecute Lukashenko for alleged war crimes, genocide and “state terrorism”. The group accuses him of complicity in Russia's war against Ukraine and of facilitating the forced transfer of at least 2,442 Ukrainian children to Belarus under a program documented by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab.

Oleh Tatarov, a senior official in the presidential office, informed the forum that the complaint had been forwarded to the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to take appropriate action if sufficient legal grounds exist.

Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, allowed Moscow to use Belarus as a staging ground for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He has also backed Russia by permitting the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory and granting access to Belarusian military bases. However, he said earlier this month that he would not send Belarusian troops to fight in the war.

While it is unlikely Lukashenko would ever stand trial in a Ukrainian court, any criminal charges could further increase international pressure on his regime.

(Reuters, bak)