Bodies of two Belarusian truckers brought home from Ukraine

March 18, BPN. The bodies of two Belarusian truck drivers who died in a Russian air raid on the Ukrainian town of Korosten were brought home on March 17, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anatol’ Hlaz. He did not elaborate on the cause of death, but did not deny media reports on the subject either.

“On March 10, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received and confirmed tragic information about the death of two of our citizens in the town of Korosten, Zhytomyr region of Ukraine. They were truckers who did not manage to leave the conflict zone and were forced to stay in their vehicles waiting for an opportunity to leave for Belarus. Many media outlets, including foreign ones, reported the story at the time. Despite the complexity of the situation, the duty of the Belarusian side was to assist their families to bring the bodies of their loved ones home. Today this task has been completed and they have been brought to Belarus,” said Hlaz.

He added that diplomats reached an understanding with the Ukrainian side on this situation, both through consular services and with the local civil administration. “Our neighboring Poland has also treated the situation with certain understanding,” the MFA official noted, without specifying any further details.

“Most importantly, we would like to thank Belarusians, employees of a private Belarusian company, who risked their lives and volunteered to assist in the repatriation of their fallen fellow citizens,” Hlaz went on. “They accomplished this task in really difficult conditions. At their request we will not disclose their names, but we sincerely believe that their gesture deserves respect and stands out as an example of a genuine civil society in our country.”

Volodymyr Moskalenko, mayor of Korosten, told the local TV channel that Belarusian truck drivers suffered severe burns in the air raid with no chances of survival. Both died in hospital. According to Moskalenko, the aircraft that killed them took off from Belarus.

The victims were 38 and 34 years old.