Belarus opposition figure detained at Ukraine border

Kolesnikova played a major role in the campaign of opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claimed victory over President Alexander Lukashenko in a disputed election last month, and has since spoken at huge protests against his rule. 

Tikhanovskaya on Tuesday called for Kolesnikova to be "freed immediately" along with other detained activists.

"By kidnapping people in broad daylight, Lukashenko is showing his weakness and fear," she said in a statement from Lithuania, where she has taken refuge.

Anton Bychkovsky, a spokesman for the State Border Committee, told AFP that Kolesnikova was being held and "an investigation is under way to legally assess the situation".

The high-profile activist went missing on Monday, with witnesses saying she was bundled into a minibus on the street.

Kolesnikova's detention removes one of the strongest opposition speakers who had insisted she would not leave Belarus voluntarily.

It came as Lukashenko was set to give a set-piece interview to Russian state media including Kremlin-funded RT on Tuesday.

Belarusian border guards said Kolesnikova had attempted to flee across the border at around 4:00 am (0100 GMT) on Tuesday along with two other members of the opposition's Coordination Council, press secretary Anton Rodnenkov and executive secretary Ivan Kravtsov.

- 'Tore up passport' -

Belarus said the BMW car they were travelling in speeded up at the border and Kolesnikova was "practically pushed out of the vehicle," but footage broadcast on state television did not show this.

Ukraine confirmed that Kravtsov and Rodnenkov had crossed the border but gave a different account of events, saying Kolesnikova had resisted moves to force her to leave Belarus.

"This was not a voluntary departure. It was forced deportation from her native country," Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook.

He said Kolesnikova "took actions" to prevent her leaving. The Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported, citing a source, that she tore up her passport.

The Coordination Council was set up to ensure a peaceful transfer of power after Tikhanovskaya rejected Lukashenko's claim to have won an August 9 presidential election with 80 percent of the vote.

The authorities have tried to stop the Coordination Council from working by detaining activists and forcing them to leave the country.

Germany and Britain had demanded answers after Kolesnikova went missing.

Kolesnikova, 38, is the only one of the trio of women who fronted Tikhanovskaya's campaign to remain in Belarus.

Tikhanovskaya left the country under pressure from the authorities and was granted refuge in EU member state Lithuania, while her other campaign partner, Veronika Tsepkalo, is now in Ukraine.

- Intensifying crackdown -

Police in Belarus have been intensifying efforts to crack down on the opposition, with more than 600 people arrested on Sunday during the latest in a series of huge weekend protests against Lukashenko.

The European Union has refused to recognise the results of the vote and warned of sanctions against those involved in the election and violence against protesters.

Thousands of demonstrators were detained in the days after the vote with many detainees accusing police of beatings and torture.

Kolesnikova's office said witnesses described her being snatched off the street in the capital Minsk on Monday by unidentified men in black who bundled her into a minibus.

Belarusian authorities had already detained several members of the Coordination Council and others have left the country under official pressure. 

Kolesnikova and other members including Nobel Literature Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich have faced questioning in a probe over an alleged bid to seize power.

Kolesnikova, a trained flautist and music teacher, entered politics to run the campaign of another opposition politician, ex-banker Viktor Babaryko, who attempted to stand for president against Lukashenko but was jailed and barred from running.