An unknown number of Ukrainian and Belarusian fans were detained after they shouted patriotic Ukrainian slogans and chanted abuses insulting the Russian President Vladimir Putin at a football match on Thursday, with eight of them being jailed, a court in the Belarusian capital Minsk said.
At the Euro 2016 qualifier between Ukraine and Belarus in the city of Borisov, 14 Ukrainians and 11 Belarusians were arrested following a match between the two countries, Ivan Kubrakov, head of law enforcement for the Belarusian interior ministry, told the Associated Press on Friday, adding that most of them had been detained for being drunk and portraying "minor hooliganism."
But according to BBC News, only seven Ukrainians were jailed, with one man being given a 10-day sentence for allegedly wearing a swastika on his clothing while seven others were jailed for using "foul language." A number of Belarusian fans were also convicted and fined.
On Thursday's match, witnesses described fans on both sides as initially starting off by chanting "Glory to the Heroes!" and "Glory to Ukraine!", in reference to Kiev's ongoing conflict against Russian-backed separatists.
Later on, a rousing rendition of a well-known song - which has become a popular expression of opposition to Putin in Ukraine - was sung together by Ukrainians and Belarusians, the Belarusian paper Nasha Niva reports.
A Belarusian police spokesman, Konstantin Shalkevich, confirmed that some Ukrainian supporters had been detained, but refused to confirm the exact amount of people, according to The Guardian.
Separately, a foreign ministry spokesman in Kiev, Yevhen Perebiynis, said, "At the present time, we know that there were 15 Ukrainian citizens detained after the match. Three have been released, 12 are appearing in court. They are accused of sticking up posters."
This is not the first time that Russian authorities have struck down on people for singing the anti-Putin song. "In June, Russian officials called for the resignation of the then Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andriy Deshchytsya, after he joined Kiev protesters in insulting Putin," BBC News reported.
In May, Putin signed off on a new law dictating that foul language would not be allowed in films, books and music, including swearing at arts, cultural and entertainment events.
