{"id":10070,"date":"2025-04-08T11:04:03","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T08:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/?p=10070"},"modified":"2025-04-08T11:04:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T08:04:03","slug":"belarus-busts-largest-ever-smuggling-of-explosives-bound-for-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/?p=10070","title":{"rendered":"Belarus busts largest-ever smuggling of explosives bound for Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Customs agents intercepted a van packed with 580 kg of dangerous material, according to officials<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Belarusian customs service has announced the interception of a van secretly transporting 580kg of highly dangerous explosive materials destined for Russia.<\/p>\n

The vehicle, registered in Moldova, raised suspicions while crossing the border from Poland. Subsequent inspections confirmed an attempt at smuggling, the State Customs Committee said on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Sergey Yakuta, chief of the Brest checkpoint, described the volume of explosives \u2014 concealed beneath dense siding and foul-smelling grease designed to mislead sniffer dogs \u2014 as the largest ever seized by customs agents in a single operation.<\/p>\n

A lab analysis identified the substance as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a difficult-to-detect compound favored by terrorists and intelligence agencies alike. Notably, the substance was reportedly<\/a> used by Israel in its pager plot targeting Hezbollah last year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Belarusian officials identified the driver as a 41-year-old citizen of Belarus, later named by national media as Yevgeny Manko, a commercial hauler who frequently makes cross-border trips.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"FILE
\u2018Better that Ukrainians don\u2019t know the truth\u2019 \u2013 Kiev\u2019s spy chief<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Manko said he was unaware of the illicit cargo, claiming he had been duped into driving someone else\u2019s vehicle by an Estonian business acquaintance. \u201cIt\u2019s terrible. I got played. They didn\u2019t think for a moment about what would happen to me, my family, and others,\u201d<\/em> he stated. The smuggling attempt was thwarted last Wednesday, the report added.<\/p>\n

Belarus maintains a military alliance and strong trade relations with Russia, while Poland and Estonia have supported Ukraine during its conflict with Moscow.<\/p>\n

Russian officials have accused Ukraine of orchestrating several terrorist attacks utilizing explosives. A high-profile incident occurred in 2022 when a truck carrying over 20 tons of disguised explosives detonated while crossing the Crimean Bridge, resulting in the deaths of the driver and four civilians in a nearby vehicle.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian military intelligence agency HUR, which Moscow implicated in the bridge bombing, published a recruitment ad on Tuesday seeking \u201ccouriers\u201d<\/em> to deliver \u201cpresents to the enemy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Customs agents intercepted a van packed with 580 kg of dangerous material, according to officials The Belarusian customs service has announced the interception of a van secretly transporting 580kg of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10071,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t