Lukashenko, contrary to Putin, announced an attempt by terrorists to leave for Belarus

Alexander Lukashenko presented his version of what was happening after the terrorist attack in Moscow's Crocus City Hall. He stated that the terrorists first tried to leave Russia for Belarus, and after an unsuccessful attempt, they moved towards the Russian border with Ukraine. His words are quoted by the Belta agency.

According to Lukashenko, the suspects in the attack on the concert hall were unable to enter Belarus due to the mobilization of a large number of Belarusian security forces.

“They couldn’t go to Belarus. Their curators—we have suspicions about some of them, I’ll call Putin and tell them my suspicions—they understood that they couldn’t enter Belarus. Because in the first minutes, just as in Russia part of the region switched to an enhanced security regime, so did we. In the very first minutes, the chairman of the KGB reported to me that he was engaged in anti-terrorist measures. Based on the combat situation itself, we brought our units into action,” Lukashenko said.

He added that the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB, the State Border Committee and some military units were involved in the operation. Roadblocks were set up on roads, including those with Russia.

“That’s why they couldn’t enter Belarus. They saw it. Therefore, they turned away and went to the section of the Ukrainian-Russian border,” Lukashenko noted.

He also spoke about a telephone conversation with Putin, which took place at the moment the terrorists left Crocus. Lukashenko and Putin agreed that Belarus would block its own section of the suspects’ likely route, and Russia would block its own.

“I ask him: “Do you need anything else?” - “No. Everything is fine.” He asks me: “Can you help me close it?” - “I’ll help. We’ll do everything.” There is such a dialogue going on,” Lukashenko said.

He added that he decided to speak out on this topic because Russians and Belarusians living abroad began to reproach Putin for his long silence after the terrorist attack.

“Yes, we didn’t sleep with Putin for a day! What do they know about it? There was constant interaction. When it was necessary to say, he came out and said,” Lukashenko summed up.

Vladimir Putin issued a statement about the attack on Crocus City Hall the day after the tragedy, March 23.

“All four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack tried to escape and moved towards Ukraine. On the Ukrainian side, a window was prepared for them to cross the state border,” he said . Later, the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov , accused Ukraine and the West of involvement in the attack on the concert hall.

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