Pavlo Hryb, a Ukrainian citizen kidnapped by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in Belarus, is being held at a detention facility in the Russian city of Krasnodar, Vasyl Kyrylych, head of a unit at Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, told Ukrainska Pravda on Sept. 7.
The FSB declined to comment on the issue on Sept. 8.
Belarus’ Interior Ministry said on Sept. 8 that it had not arrested Hryb and was looking for him. Previously the ministry had confirmed that Hryb had crossed the border into Belarus.
Pavlo Hryb’s father Ihor Hryb said on Aug. 27 that his son, who was wanted by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in a fabricated terrorism case, had gone to Belarus and had been kidnapped by the FSB. He went to the city of Homel to meet a Russian girl that he had previously contacted on social networks, Ihor Hryb said.
If convicted, Pavlo Hryb faces a prison term of 10 to 15 years.
The events have triggered speculation that Belarusian authorities could be complicit in Hryb’s kidnapping. But Belarusian opposition-minded political analyst Valery Karbalevich told the Kyiv Post he believed Belarusian authorities were not interested in this since it would only damage their reputation ahead of the Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2017 military drills in Belarus, planned for Sept. 14 through Sept. 20.
There are fears that Russia may use the drills to make Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko more pliable, intimidate neighboring countries or organize a provocation on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has also initiated legislation to deploy Russian anti-aircraft weapons on Belarus’ border with Ukraine.
