Belarus court sentences activists for attempted sabotage of Russian plane 

moscow — 

A tribunal successful Minsk sentenced a twelve individuals to situation presumption of betwixt 2 and 25 years Friday for helping perpetrate what Belarus has called an "act of terrorism" astatine a subject airfield extracurricular the superior past year.

A radical of Belarusian anti-government activists said successful February 2023 that they had blown up a blase Russian subject surveillance craft successful a drone onslaught astatine the base.

Russia and Belarus dismissed the assertion arsenic fake, with Belarusian authorities tv publishing footage showing what it said was the undamaged Beriev A-50 surveillance craft.

About a week later, Minsk said it had detained a "terrorist" and much than 20 accomplices implicit attempted sabotage astatine the airfield.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a adjacent state of Kremlin person Vladimir Putin, alleged astatine the clip that Ukrainian information services and the U.S. Central Intelligence bureau were down the operation. He said the craft had suffered lone superficial harm successful the attack, which was carried retired utilizing a "small drone," the Belta quality bureau reported.

On Friday, Belarus' wide prosecutor's bureau said the Minsk City Court had sentenced 12 individuals aft uncovering them blameworthy of terrorism, extremism and different superior crimes.

The main defendant, Ukrainian nationalist Nikolai Shvets, was sentenced successful absentia to 25 years successful prison. Shvets, who gave an interrogation to Belarusian authorities tv past April successful which helium elaborate however helium planned the attack, was released successful a captive speech with Ukraine successful June, according to Belarusian rights radical Viasna.

It was not wide however galore of the others were sentenced successful absentia.