Person involved in Protasevich’s “interview” left Belarus for Ukraine

Belarusian political analyst Artem Shraibman left Belarus after mentioning his name in an “interview” with the arrested opposition blogger Roman Protasevich. Shraibman wrote about this in his Telegram.

“It turned out ironically. On the morning of June 3, the edition of the” Revision “project comes out, which ends with my words that I do not feel a direct threat and therefore do not leave Belarus, and in the evening I am in a hurry to collect my things and get out of the country,” wrote is he.

In an “interview” with the state TV channel ONT, Protasevich said that Shraibman was a participant in the chat in which protests in Belarus were coordinated.

Shraibman wrote that Protasevich exaggerated his participation in the process.

“I really was in this chat until the end of autumn 2020, which started as a simple online gathering of bloggers, but as the protests grew, this topic became key in discussions,” wrote Shreibman.

At the same time, he assured that on his part “there was no consultation outside of some basic description of my vision of the situation in the country.”

Shraibman says that he does not know for sure whether the Belarusian special services are interested in him, but he mentioned “rumors” about the impending criminal case.

“But in today’s Belarus, even non-involvement in what the authorities consider a crime is already insufficient insurance,” Shraibman wrote.

He added that “there is no offense at Protasevich and cannot be.”

“We do not know what basement in the LPR and what fate was described for his girlfriend if he refused this interview. Hostages are not tried,” the analyst wrote.

In a commentary to Nasha Niva, Shraibman clarified that he had left for Ukraine.

“I am now in Ukraine, I got by roundabout paths, how exactly – I will not say, it may be useful to someone else,” he told the publication.

• On June 3, an “interview” with Protasevich was published on the Belarusian state channel controlled by the Lukashenka regime. In it, he criticized the opposition (in particular, NEXTA co-founder Stepan Putilo), “admitted guilt” in preparing the “riots”, called the trip to Donbass in 2014 “the biggest mistake” and said that he “respects Lukashenka”.
• Protasevich’s father does not believe in his son’s words in the “interview.”
• Putilo is convinced that Protasevich gave “interviews” after “unbearable torture.”