Russia will not allow into the country Belarusian opposition figures who are banned from leaving Belarus but could use Russia as transit hub to flee abroad, Belta news agency quoted FSB Border Service head Vladimir Pronichev as saying on Friday.
Pronichev told the border guard committee of the Union State of Russia and Belarus that he would not allow a situation where Belarusian citizens with no right to leave that country travelled to Russia and then went on to third countries, Belta reported.
Direct confirmation of the move from official Russian sources could not be obtained.
Pronichev said that if the border service officials were told to detain a person, they would do it both on Russian and Belarus territories.
Belarus authorities said in late March that Minsk would introduce an “iron curtain” on the country's opposition, following enactment of EU-backed sanctions against Belarusian officials.
Belarus has already banned twelve opposition activists and human rights advocates from leaving the country in the past few months.
