For the reason that finish of March, the Belarusian opposition has been preoccupied with the mysterious disappearance of Angelika Melnikova, a political activist who had been dwelling in exile in Poland. Melnikova was the chairperson of the Coordination Council, a form of proto-parliament established by Belarus’s democracy motion after the fraudulent 2020 elections. Along with her position on the council, Melnikova labored intently with Pavel Latushko, a former Belarusian diplomat who had defected to the anti-Lukashenka opposition and was dwelling in Poland. Melnikova’s two daughters, aged 6 and 12, are additionally lacking.
The activist was final heard from on 25 March. That’s Belarusian independence day, though Alexander Lukashenka‘s regime bans its celebration. Since then, there was a regular trickle of stories in regards to the circumstances of Melnikova’s disappearance. As early as February, it appears, she informed her colleagues that she wanted time to kind out her affairs. Later she knowledgeable them that she was taking break day resulting from a Covid-19 an infection.
Pavel Latushko, who reported Melnikova’s disappearance to the Polish authorities – the lacking lady has each Belarusian and Polish citizenship – claims that her telephone has been in Belarus since 19 March. He additionally claims to make certain that one in every of her gadgets was in Warsaw as not too long ago as 18 March. In flip, the Polish authorities say that they consider Melnikova has been outdoors Poland for a number of weeks.
In the meantime, on 7 April, impartial Belarusian journalists managed to achieve Melnikova’s ex-husband, and have been informed that he’s in Belarus and that his daughters are with him. He claims that he has no thought the place his ex-wife is and can also be frightened about her sudden disappearance.
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Till 2020, Angelika Melnikova labored as a high govt on the Belarusian department of Coca Cola. In that yr she acquired concerned within the post-election protests, and was twice arrested on fees of collaborating in and organizing unauthorized demonstrations. She and her household fled to Poland, the place she turned lively within the exiled democratic opposition. Within the meantime, she divorced her husband, who labored in Poland as a programmer.
The most certainly situation is that Melnikova was kidnapped by Belarusian or Russian intelligence providers. If that is so, the regime will in all probability “present her off” in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later. Maybe this can take the type of a public present of contrition and gratitude to Alexander Lukashenka for the prospect to return to Belarus. The identical methodology was used to silence the impartial journalist Raman Pratasevich, who was kidnapped in 2021 and now works for the regime. Though Melnikova’s story stays shrouded in thriller, one factor appears sure: Lukashenka’s regime continues to be very harmful for anybody who has brazenly opposed it. The menace applies no matter the place these individuals are, and emigration doesn’t assure security.
Gagauzia’s governor Evghenia Guțul’s arrest
Moldova is getting very critical about its parliamentary elections, due in a number of months. A working example is the arrest of Evghenia Guțul on 25 March at Chisinau airport. Guțul is the governor of Gagauzia, an autonomous area within the south of Moldova, the place pro-Russian sentiments maintain sway and Russia due to this fact has critical affect.
The Moldovan authorities suspect Guțul of collaborating with the fugitive oligarch Ilon Shor, who was the principle sponsor of a vote-buying operation that marred Moldova’s presidential elections final autumn. Previous to that, Guțul herself benefited from Shor’s affect and sources throughout her regional election marketing campaign in Gagauzia, and has additionally been seen in Moscow shaking arms with Putin himself. Certainly, she reportedly wrote to the Russian president from jail, asking him to make use of all obtainable means to safe her launch.
The Moldovan authorities are conscious of the size of Russian affect operations of their nation. Till now they’ve most popular to not go after figures equivalent to Guțul for worry of additional destabilization. Following the autumn presidential elections, which passed off alongside a referendum with regards to Moldova’s EU software, Chisinau has determined to get robust on Russian meddling. The upcoming parliamentary elections will inform whether or not that technique is the best one.
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