Kiev has said that more than 100 prisoners freed by Belarus have been sent to Ukraine, including protest leader Maria Kolesnikova.
"After receiving necessary medical care and if they so wish, the released citizens of Belarus will be transported to Poland and Lithuania," Kiev's prisoner of war coordination centre said in a statement on Saturday, adding 114 of the 123 people freed were now in Ukraine.
Speaking in Vilnius, a spokesperson for exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said they were "unexpectedly" sent to Ukraine rather than Lithuania, a decision taken by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Among those freed by Belarus were opposition leader Viktor Babariko, Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatksi and opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova, a rights group said.
The releases come after a US envoy earlier said Washington was lifting sanctions on Belarusian potassium.
Efforts to improve ties with West
On Friday, Lukashenko hosted a US envoy for talks in the Belarus capital of Minsk, the latest step in the leader's effort to improve ties with the West.
Lukashenko met with US special envoy for Belarus John Coale, according to state news agency Belta and the presidential press service.
The last time US officials met with Lukashenko, more than 50 political prisoners were released and brought to Lithuania.
Last month, Belarus also pardoned 31 Ukrainian citizens, as part of an agreement between President Alexander Lukashenko and US counterpart Donald Trump.
Overall, Belarus released more than 430 prisoners since July 2024 in what was widely seen as an effort at a rapprochement with the West.
A close ally of Russia, Minsk has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years.
