Yury Rubtsou: “Green men” in Homel told me they were from Russia

The political prisoner confirmed earlier reports about Russia soldiers in Homel.

Yesterday’s news about “green men” aroused Belarusian Internet users. Young Front member Andrei Tsianiuta and political prisoner Yury Rubtsou confirmed this information in a conversation with charter97.org and said details.

“I am sure they were Russian servicemen. They told me so. Their uniform differs from ours. I was in the army, I know it. I have many friends among contract soldiers. We do not have green hats. Our soldiers wear grey hats. They spoke with a different accent. My friend, who was with me, can confirm it, as well as Yury Rubtsou who saw them on the same day,” Andrei Tsianiuta said.

Yury Rubtsou saw Russian soldiers in Homel and informed the police about it.

“I saw them on the same day. I didn’t have a camera, so I didn’t photograph them. 12-15 soldiers were in Homel near the central railway station. Andrei Tsianiuta saw them before me. I couldn’t understand where they were from. They were doing something near an ATM near Homel Hotel, I came to them and asked what country they belonged to. They said: ‘Russia.’ I went to the police station at the railway station. They searched me and asked why I came. I answered: ‘I’d like to say that a group of unidentified soldiers is in the city centre, near the Railway Square.’ I don’t know what the police did. I wrote about it on Facebook. If it was a silly joke, why didn’t they have insignia? Does the government have no money to make insignia?

I think Russian troops should not be there even under the guise of ‘polite men’. Taking into account the events in Ukraine, we can suppose that Russian troops are being pulled to the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, and Lukashenka cannot do anything here,” he says.

The Russian military people have recently been called "green men". On March 2, 2014, thousands of unidentified people with no insignia, armed with Russian weapons and equipment, appeared in Crimea. Indirect signatures showed that the people were Russian soldiers, but, despite numerous photo- and video facts, Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu denied their affiliation to the armed forces of the Russian Federation. After that it has started to call the Russian military men as "green men".