A Ukrainian MP held secret talks with Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko, the head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence has revealed.
Yevhen Shevchenko, a former member of the ruling parliamentary Servant of the People party, was used as an agent due to his connections with Minsk, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Ukraine’s Icelandia TV.
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“We involved all possible means of communication, all possibilities we had,” he said.
“We even involved a Member of the Parliament – this is also true.”
When pressed, he revealed this to be Shevchenko.
“All this was done in order to prevent Belarus from being dragged into this war,” he added. “And when the Russian army was driven out and fled, this communication was crucial for preventing new attempts of invasion from the territory of Belarus into Ukraine or launching attacks on Ukraine.
“Time has shown that as of now we managed to do it.
"Whether we like him or not, Lukashenko is not an idiot. And he does not want the repetition of 24 February 2022. In fact, his opinion was not really taken into account back then but he has made conclusions, as I see, as everyone sees."
Yevhen Shevchenko, a former member of the ruling parliamentary Servant of the People party, was used as an agent due to his connections with Minsk.
Budanov said that, using his connections, Shevchenko has been helping the intelligence services for quite some time.
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In Ukraine, Shevchenko has a negative reputation for supporting the dictatorial regime of Lukashenko, repeatedly traveling to Belarus and personally meeting with him.
Elsewhere, there has been much speculation about the health of the Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko over the last few days with even some suggestions that he had died.
In an exclusive comment to Kyiv Post on Tuesday, Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, played down the rumors.
He said: “Alexander Lukashenko has health problems: a cold and a virus. “He has serious problems with his voice, so singing and speaking in public is problematic for him, but most likely in a few days the public will be able to see him again.”
The international rumor mill went into overdrive over the weekend after Lukashenko skipped festivities celebrating the ex-Soviet country's state symbols on Sunday.
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