Lukashenka: Ukraine's fugitives not in Belarus

Ukraine's opposition leader Vitaly Klichko on February 23 called Belarus president Aliaksandr Lukashenka, asking Belarus to extradite former Ukraine's Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko and businessman Serhiy Kurchenko. Media reports suggested earlier that the two had fled to Belarus on February 21.

However, Lukashenka assured Klichko that neither Zakharchenko nor Kurchenko were in Belarus. On February 22, Belarusian MFA refuted the media reports in the official statement, reports Belapan.