Belarusian border guards have detained four Russian nationals suspected of attempting to smuggle migrants from South Asia to the European Union via Belarus and Russia.
The State Border Guard Committee of Belarus in its April 1 statement said that along with the Russian suspects, two citizens of India and eight Sri Lankans were also detained.
According to the statement, Belarusian border guards and officers of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Smolensk region managed to "disrupt activities of a criminal group involved in organizing illegal migration."
It said Belarusian border guards stopped a vehicle on the night on March 27 and found two Russian citizens and 10 illegal migrants heading to Lithuania, an EU country that borders Belarus. The other Russian suspects were detained later.
The four Russian men could face up to seven years in prison if convicted of organizing illegal migration.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
U.S., Canadian Warplanes Intercept Russian, Chinese Military Aircraft Near Alaska
2Crowdsourcing Russia's Future: Poll Of Experts Considers What Comes After Putin
3Russia Attacks Ukrainian Danube Port For Second Day As NATO Scrambles Warplanes Over Romania
4Turkey Detains Russian Man Suspected Of Car Bombing In Moscow
5Ukrainian Forces Fight Intense Battles In Donetsk Region, Zelenskiy Says
6Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
7Pentagon Finds Another $2 Billion Of Accounting Errors For Ukraine Aid
8'Don't Even Whisper In Your Language': Russian Course For Central Asians Lays Down Strict Rules
9Under Relentless Russian Attacks, Ukrainian Power Plant Workers Race To Get The Lights Back On
10Bulgarian President Admits Blocking Pro-Western Envoy To Kyiv
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
