Alexander Lukashenko, who is not recognized by the West as a legitimately elected President of Belarus, and Belarusian authorities are actively involved in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said in a July 18 report with a reference to The Telegraph quoting the head of the Belarusian opposition group National Anti-Crisis Management, Pavel Latushka.

Latushka alleged that Lukashenko is personally responsible for the forced displacement of Ukrainian children to Belarus and that he gave direct instructions on how to carry out and finance the displacement.

The Telegraph found that Belarusian authorities actively worked with Russian authorities to transport some Ukrainian children to Belarus and others to far eastern regions of Russia.

"The Telegraph reported that Belarusian and Russian authorities collaborated to forcibly transport at least 2,150 Ukrainian children to Belarus since September 2022 and that the number of Ukrainian children in Belarus will likely reach 3,000 by fall of 2023," the ISW said.

The European Parliament Foreign Affairs Council had previously called for an arrest warrant against Lukashenko in early June for actions relating to Ukrainian children and for facilitating other crimes committed in Ukraine, the analysts said.