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The Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has accused the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, of personally ordering the illegal transfer of Ukrainian orphans and suggested he may be guilty of war crimes.

Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania, said “ample evidence” had been gathered indicating the “direct involvement” of Lukashenko and his regime in the deportation of Ukrainian children from territories occupied by Russia to Belarus.

“Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered the transfers of orphans to Belarus and facilitated their arrival by financial and organisational support,” states a report Tsikhanouskaya sent to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and EU foreign ministers.

Tsikhanouskaya’s team estimates that at least 2,150 children will have been brought to Belarus by the end of this month. Some have been sent to the Dubrava camp in the Minsk region, which is said to be run by Belaruskali, a state-owned potash company and major source of revenue for the Lukashenko regime.

The charge sheet against Lukashenko and Belaruskali comes amid growing pressure on the EU to tighten up sanctions against Belarus. The EU has already imposed sanctions on Belarus, including Belaruskali, both for its role in supporting the Russian invasion and the brutal crackdown on protesters after the 2020 elections. However, an extension of the sanctions has been held up for months over the question of whether Belaruskali should be granted an exemption in the name of food security.

The European Commission had proposed an exemption for Belaruskali in a belief it would ease global food shortages.

Lithuania, backed by Poland, Estonia and Hungary, is refusing to sign off sanctions if an exemption for Belaruskali is included. Vilnius argues that the market is adapting to provide alternatives to Belarusian potash. “It’s our duty not to fall into the trap of Russian propaganda. No lack of fertilisers [and] sanctions against Russia doesn’t cause food insecurity,” the Lithuanian foreign ministry tweeted on Monday.