Belarus has found spies working for West in state factories, president says

FILE PHOTO: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during a news conference following talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

(Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said some employees at state-run factories were secretly working for the West against his government on Thursday after human rights activists reported the detention of 14 workers at a fertilizer plant.

The plant, Grodno Azot, is one of several placed under Western sanctions in response to a violent crackdown on protesters by Lukashenko after a contested election last year. The factory was also a hub of those same mass protests.