Lukashenka Recognised ‘Bear Bombing’

Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka confirmed the fact of bear drop over Belarus performed by two citizens of Sweden — the employees of a PR agency Studio Total — on July 4.

The President noted that the officials who did not stop the illegal action must be punished.

Aliaksandr Lukashenka also express his concern over the fact that the light plane Jodel was detected timely but no steps to prevent it penetrating Belarus further were made.

“Whom did you spare? Is it the fault of definite doers or the fault of the air border security system?”

Lukashenka promised that all guilty for the incident will be punished. “Latest on Monday I will make decisions. Personnel decisions, too.”

Lukashenka also commented on late official response of the authorities:

“I did not hurry to decide as you asked me. You wanted to investigate into the incident scrupulously. Today, as I can see, you finished the investigation and guilty persons must be punished.”

However, experts doubt that Belarusian air defence forces detected the plane but not reacted: they lost a great opportunity to gain favour.

Until today, official Minsk denied the fact of bear drop over Belarus. However, the KGB has already arrested a photographer Anton Surapin who was the first to upload the photos of dropped teddy bears and a real estate agent Siarhiej Basharymau who was renting apartments to Swedish citizens.

They both are accused of assistance to illegally cross state’s border and may face from 3 to 7 years’ imprisonment.

As it was reported previously, two Swedish citizens Per Cromwell and Thomas Masetti took off from Lithuania and illegally penetrated Belarus’ air space on July 4, a day after the Independence Day military parade which was to show country’s military might. They dropped around 1,000 plush teddy bears with supportive pro-free speech banners over two Belarusian cities — Ivianiec and Minsk and then flew back to Lithuania where they landed.

Belarusian officials and ideologist denied the fact of the incident and called all footages uploaded by Studio Total fake ones.

The Ministry of Defence of Belarus still assures the footage of the Swedish pilots dropping teddy bears from the plane as a solidarity action is a false and was done using photo and video editors.

The Ministry representatives called the video “a provocation”.

“The incident was 100% provocation against Belarus supported by foreign secret services. Belarusian air force and air defence units did not confirmed violation of Belarusian air side by unidentified planes,”

“What the provocation covered by mass media is concerned — a lightweight aircraft which crossed Belarusian border near town Ivianiec — the investigation on the incident has not been finished yet,”

However, the action of Swedish pilots was very risky as in 1995 an American balloon that accidentally entered Belarusian air side was shot down by Belarusian air defense forces. The two pilots — Alan Frenchel and John Stewart — who participated in an international balloon rally were killed.

However, it did not stop the pilots from their action as they wanted to support

“journalists and dissidents who risk to be imprisoned every day”

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