Belarusian Officials Condemn Drone Attack on Children as 'Terrorist Act'

MINSK, June 19. /TASS/. Belarusian children whose bus was hit by a Ukrainian drone in the Bryansk Region were the targets of a clear terrorist act, said First Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States Igor Petrishenko.

The bombing can be viewed as an attack on the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Alexander Lukashevich, Permanent Russia’s Representative to the statutory and other CIS bodies, told reporters.

The Ukrainian drone strike is an attempt to involve Minsk in the international military conflict, said Igor Nazaruk, Permanent Belarus’ Representative to the CIS.

TASS has compiled the key statements about the attack.

Statements by the First Deputy Secretary of the CIS

The Belarusian children hit by a Ukrainian drone in the Bryansk Region turned out to be "a target for some kind of incomprehensible terrorist ambitions," said Petrishenko.

He noted that the CIS calls on "the entire world community to impartially condemn such terrorist attacks and take necessary action to ensure that an appropriate investigation is conducted and the perpetrators are punished as they deserve."

According to Petrishenko, the world community should respond to such facts with real action.

Statements by Russia's Permanent Representative to the CIS

The attack is an "attempt on the security" of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Lukashevich told reporters.

According to him, all those involved in the attack should be heavily punished under the law: "The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation is dealing with this, and relevant instructions were given to the Belarusian side."

Lukashevich noted that Moscow hopes that the military "will find an adequate response" to the attack.

The CIS Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives is obliged to respond "loudly and clearly," he added.

Lukashevich said that the persons involved in the attack are being identified: "At present, all the details of the crime committed and the specific persons involved in the incident are being established."

The Ukrainian drone "was filled with destructive elements," he said.

Statements by the Permanent Belarus’ Representative to the CIS

The strike is "a monstrous violation of all international conventions, including the Geneva Convention on the Conduct of Hostilities," said Nazaruk.

He said that the buses with Belarusian children, which were heading to Gelendzhik, were equipped with a sign reading "Children": "It is very important to note here that this bus was not alone, but it was traveling with another vehicle. There were 88 tourists in total, most of them children, and each bus was marked with the sign "Children" in accordance with Belarusian and international legislation."

During the presentation of a protest note to Ukraine’s charge d'affaires in connection with the attack, Belarus demanded that all those responsible be brought to justice as harshly and promptly as possible, Nazaruk noted.

He called the attack an attempt to involve Belarus in the international military conflict.

Nazaruk confirmed that the Belarusian citizen who died from the drone attack was pregnant.

He said that Belarus reserves the right to take actions against Ukraine to protect the lives of its citizens: "We in the Republic of Belarus will take all necessary measures to protect the lives and ensure the safety of our citizens. And at the same time, we reserve the right to take appropriate actions against the Ukrainian side."

Belarus will seek to ensure that the attack "is given a proper international assessment," Nazaruk said.

According to him, Minsk will not allow itself to be intimidated by the terrorist attack and drawn into military operations, but there will be a "decisive rebuff": "We have the strength, the means, and the capabilities."

"Aggression against children is a favorite technique of the followers of neo-Nazi ideology and Bandera methods of genocide."