The Belarusian embassy in Kyiv has been receiving a lot of inquiries from Ukrainian citizens about the possibility of moving to Belarus, Dzmitry Mironchyk, spokesman for the Belarusian foreign ministry, told reporters in Minsk on Thursday.
He said that the Ukrainians sought more information about the rules of entering and moving to Belarus. Asked to specify how many Ukrainians had moved to Belarus or applied for asylum in the country in connection with Ukraine's political turmoil, Mr Mironchyk referred the reporters to Belarus' migration authorities.
In his recent interview to Russian TV channel NTV president Aliaksandr Lukashenka said that some 2,000 "refugees" wanted to move from Ukraine to Belarus.
"We are afraid that if events take an unfavorable turn, and the situation is far from being stable there, of course, some people may flood into Belarus. If they go here, we will have a very hard time," Mr Lukashenka stated, noting that he meant mostly residents of Ukraine's northern provinces. He warned that the possible influx of refugees from Ukraine could bring crime to Belarus.
