The state-funded newspaper "Sovetskaia Belorussia" published the declassified documents of the Belarusian secret services about the events on December 19 on the orders of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. These documents provide information on foreign funding of the Belarusian opposition, in particular, former presidential candidates.
The head of state instructed the intelligence agencies to disclose the required documents immediately after the election on December 20. Published documents must «show the background of what happened, to name the organizers, instigators and rioters, including foreign ones, without compromise, as well as to disclose the financing scheme of the destructive organizations.»
For example, the published documents provide information on the financing of opposition Internet site «Charter 97,» waging the propaganda campaign of the candidate Andrei Sannikov, who is currently a defendant in a criminal case concerning the organization and involvement in riots in Minsk on December 19. According to the published documents, journalist Oleg Bebenin, who died on September 3, used to be involved in financial issues of the opposition website.
According to intelligence, Oleg Bebenin used to receive large sums from abroad within a few months of the site activity. In particular, he allegedly got $211 thousand from the employee of the «USA Helsinki Group» Catherine Fitzpatrick. Another €6 thousand was allegedly given to the site by the International Fund «Front Line,» €26.5 thousand — by the organization of the «Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe,» $98 thousand — by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.
Romanchuk Received $200 Thousand from Abroad to Campaign, «Sovetskaia Belorussia»
There are also excerpts from an analytical note on the financial situation of the presidential candidates from the opposition among the documents, published in «Sovetskaia Belorussia.» It says among other things that in the run-up to elections ex-candidate Yaroslav Romanchuk received for campaign about $150 — 200 thousand from the International Republican Institute, which works closely with the U.S. Department of State, after which he returned to Germany and the United States for additional funding.
Another document reports about financing of ex-presidential candidate Vladimir Niakliaeu, the leader of the campaign «Tell the truth!» For example, it states that Vladimir Niakliaeu headquarters planned to get about $400 thousand for the collection of signatures and $600 thousand for propaganda campaign from the donors. $100 thousand was planned to allocate for the media support of the campaign, and $250 thousand — for the manufacture of printed material.
Andrei Dmitriev, the head of the electoral headquarters of the former candidate, planned to get $150 thousand. Coordinator of the campaign headquarters of Vladimir Niakliaeu Alexander Feduta allegedly offered to allocate $50 -100 thousand from his extra-budgetary fund for the preparation of analytical papers on the socio-political and economic situation in the country.
Polish Foreign Ministry Sponsored Niakliaeu Campaign, «Sovetskaia Belorussia»
In addition, this document quoted Sergei Vozniak, a trustee of Vladimir Niakliaeu, who said that representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland were the sponsors of the campaign «Tell the truth!»
«There is no doubt that the events of December 19 involved all intelligence agencies of Poland and Germany, which had organized a campaign «Tell the truth!» to make it the «new opposition force» capable of changing the power in the country. ( …) The civil campaign «Tell the truth!» was completely subordinated to the will of the international «facilitators» from the very beginning,» the journalists of «Sovetskaia Belorussia» sum up.
$2 million was Planned to Allocate to Opposition Youth on «Square,» «Sovetskaia Belorussia»
There are also extracts from an online summary of the Belarusian KGB among the documents. They state that Andrei Dmitriev, Head of Staff Vladimir Niakliaeu, and Dmitri Dashkevich, leader of the unregistered youth organization «Young Front,» participated in the meeting of youth groups to organize «Square» in July 2010. According to intelligence, the young activists were planning to establish a joint organization that would include representatives of the «Young Front,» «Right Alliance,» the BPF and the Movement «For Freedom.» The budget structure was allegedly equal $2 million. The youth activists allegedly had to spend the money on tents and equipment, necessary for the organization of the «Square.»
Also there is some information about the ex-presidential candidate Ales Michalevic, who is also accused of organizing riots in Minsk. The information reveals the meetings of the candidate with a journalist in Germany, who allegedly was a representative of the German intelligence service. Ales Michalevic told that funding for the BPF was mainly from the U.S., Germany and Poland. According to Ales Michalevic, the bulk of grants was plundered by the BPF leaders before even reaching the prime members of the party,» a published summary says.
Niakliaeu Planned Political Crisis in Belarus, «Sovetskaia Belorussia»
In addition to the opposition funding, the published documents also reveal the alleged plans of the Belarusian opposition for the political crisis in the country. In particular, there is an excerpt from the «Strategic Plan of the campaign «Tell the truth!» The first strategic step supposedly was «to create conditions for delegitimizing the results of voting by «independent» monitoring, as well as by bribing members of election commissions.» The second step towards political crisis allegedly was «to organize mass protests.»
The published documents also mention the media representatives, arrived in Belarus to cover the presidential elections. More than 400 foreign journalists were accredited to work in the campaign, another 220 representatives of foreign mass media have continued accreditation. Representatives of the state-run media called their foreign counterparts «the stars of crisis reportage.» «Biased press came to cove another «color revolution,» though there were seemingly no visible prerequisites for this in Belarus and the Western politicians acknowledged it publicly,» says the publication of «Sovetskaia Belorussia.»
