Belarusian TV revived the topic of connections between Lukashenko’s opponents and Russia
The Belarusian TV channel ONT aired a documentary film “Mankurts”, which tells about the game played by the Belarusian KGB with the editor of the Polish telegram channel “Nekhta” Stepan Putilo and the former deputy commander of the combat group of the anti-terrorist unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus “Almaz” Igor Makar, who fled abroad.
Makar gained fame in January when he broadcast to Western media recording of a conversation allegedly between the former chairman of the Belarusian KGB Vadim Zaitsev and two unknown employees of the counter-terrorism unit "Alpha", made back in April 2012. It discusses the scenario of the assassination attempt on journalist Pavel Sheremet, who was actually killed in Kyiv 4 years later.
The film “Mankurts” begins with the fact that the KGB identified a traitor in its ranks - Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Khramovich, who gave Putilo recordings of telephone conversations of Lukashenko’s entourage. For this information, he received Bitcoin from Nekhta.
The filmmakers claim that the telephone conversations, recordings of which were received and transferred to Poland by Khramovich, were staged by the KGB. As proof, a video is shown in which the press secretary of the President of Belarus Natalya Eismont talks on the phone in the presence of operatives.
After his arrest, Khramovich continued to communicate with Putilo, offering him an archive of secret documents for 500 thousand euros and escape from Belarus. All this was a cunning game by the KGB. After the auction, the Polish blogger agrees to the deal.
After this, Makar comes to Khramovich, and they begin to discuss the details of the escape. And here it turns out that the Russians will provide assistance.
“This will be done by the people who worked with you. An FSB car will pick you up. The American intelligence service makes the documents. They have their own people working there,” says Makar.
Khramovich is surprised and asks to explain why opposing services are involved.
“This only applies to documents. You find yourself in Russia, in a big city. Europe is already working there,” says Makar and repeats that he will resolve the issue with the FSB.
“I talked with the Russian side, there is also an opportunity there. You will also arrive in Russia in a diplomatic car or by other routes,” he adds.
At the same time, he promises Khramovich employment in the power bloc of the self-proclaimed “leader of the Belarusian people” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius.
The filmmakers do not explain Makar’s words about the FSB in any way, they only utter a mysterious phrase: “For Makar and his curators, the imperial march is in full swing.” When describing the KGB operation, they do not talk about Western intelligence services, but only about “the intelligence services of other states.”
The second episode of the film begins with a story about the capture of a group that was supposed to ensure Khramovich’s passage across the Russian border. They were found to have an arsenal of 600 weapons. They admit that they kidnapped and interrogated people, and sent the interrogation recordings to Makar.
After this, Makar allegedly decides to organize Khramovich’s escape across the Lithuanian border. To do this, he negotiates with a certain Olga Solomeynik, who is easily recruited by the Belarusian KGB.
Solomeynik contacts Makar and reports that Khramovich’s archive is already with her.
“You have a revolution in your hands. I have been making this revolution for almost two years. That's how things are. And then you will find out who I really am. I will personally introduce you to one very serious person. Not in Europe, but in Russia. Last name starting with “B,” says Makar joyfully.
Belarusian TV also does not explain this information in any way.
The fact that Makar really fell for the KGB’s game is evidenced by a mysterious video from his YouTube channel, published on the 20th of March before the “Celebration of Freedom Day,” within the framework of which mass actions were supposed to take place, but in the end did not take place.
In the video, Makar issues an ultimatum to KGB Chairman Ivan Tertel. He must not use force against the protesters, otherwise some information will be disclosed that will compromise the KGB. As confirmation of the seriousness of the threats, Makar names the first letters of the names of KGB officers and names some facts incomprehensible to the viewer. Including the official ID number of a KGB officer. In the ONT film this ID is demonstrated. It belongs to Khramovich.
Perhaps, at the time of recording the video message, Makar really believed that he had some information that could “overthrow the Lukashenko regime.” In conversations with Belarusian activists leaked to the same ONT, he spoke negatively about the Kyiv Maidan scenario for Minsk and expressed hope that “the security forces will lower their shields.”
The fugitive oppositionist Karach, who became close to Makar, also happily hinted that instead of dispersing the protests, the police would be distracted by something else.
Since the morning, the opposition press has been discussing what in the film “Mankury” is really a story about the work of the special services, and what is an attempt to confuse and intimidate the viewer.
“The revelations of opposition ex-special forces soldier Makar about his connections with the FSB were broadcast. I don’t presume to judge what it was: whether Makar was showing off in order to get some plums from his interlocutor, or whether it was true (and then this is a bold red flag for the entire diaspora that still communicates with him). But it’s interesting that Minsk decided to leak this into the public domain. This is about the issue of all-weather brotherhood and trust in the Union State,” writes columnist Artem Shraibman.
The strange ONT film made me remember the words of the chairman of the Belarusian KGB, Ivan Tertel, said last December at a meeting with workers of the Grodno-Azot enterprise. The workers mockingly reminded the head of the special service of his accusations against “Russian puppeteers” made in July last year after the incident with the detention of 33 Russians near Minsk. Then the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko constantly allowed himself to make hints about Russia’s destructive role.
After the start of Belomaidan, it seemed that this topic had gone away. But no, in December Tertel not only did not renege on his words, but also promised tell the whole truth about the “Russian masterminds” at the trial of ex-banker Viktor Babariko.
This trial is taking place right now. Let us remember that Lukashenko considers Babariko, who tried to compete with the head of state in the presidential elections, “a protégé of Gazprom, and perhaps even higher.”
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