A high-profile political analyst and strategist who has advised presidential candidates in the U.S., Russia and Ukraine has been detained in Belarus ahead of a tense election.
"I have been arrested," Vitali Shkliarov, a Harvard University fellow, said on Telegram without providing further details.
The 44-year-old was born in the Belarussian city of Gomel but is based in Washington DC.
He has worked on both Barack Obama's and Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns. He told Russian opposition television channel Dozhd that he had arrived in Belarus in early July.
Citing the country's security service, Belarussian television said Shkliarov had advised Sergei Tikhanovsky, one of strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko's would-be rivals, who is now in jail.
The arrest of Tikhanovsky, a popular 41-year-old YouTube blogger, prevented him from submitting his own presidential bid in time.
In a surprise move, his wife Svetlana stepped in and was allowed to register as a candidate. In a matter of weeks 37-year-old Tikhanovskaya has gone from an unknown to Lukashenko's strongest rival.
Shkliarov was detained after the KGB security service announced it had arrested 33 Russian mercenaries allegedly plotting to destabilize the country ahead of the presidential election.
KGB chief Valery Vakulchik told Lukashenko the detained men were members of the Wagner group, a shadowy private military firm reportedly controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which promotes Moscow's interests in Ukraine, Syria and Libya.
The arrests came less than two weeks before Belarus holds a tense presidential election on Aug. 9, in which Lukashenko is seeking a sixth term, as public discontent builds over his policies.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
