Minsk Embassy Reports Threats To Swedes In Belarus

Sweden's embassy building in Minsk

The Swedish Embassy in Minsk has issued a warning to Swedes residing in Belarus after receiving a number of anonymous threats to its citizens in the country.

The embassy said on its website that "there are grounds for Swedes to be particularly careful and cautious when traveling and staying in the country."

A spokesman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry called the Swedish Embassy warnings "slander."

The row between Belarus and Sweden erupted last month after a plane hired by a Swedish organization dropped hundreds of teddy bears with pro-democracy messages over Belarus.

It has led to the expulsion of Swedish diplomats from Minsk and Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has also dismissed a top border official and the head of the country's air force because of the incident.

Based on reporting by Interfax and RIA Novosti