A day after a Belarus opposition leader was seen being bundled into a van by masked men, she has been involved in dramatic scenes at the border, writes BBC.

State media say Maria Kolesnikova was detained while trying to cross into Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday. But Ukrainian reports say she tore up her passport to prevent expulsion as two colleagues were forced to leave.

She is one of three women who joined forces to challenge President Alexander Lukashenko in August’s election. Mass protests erupted after election authorities awarded Lukashenko victory amid allegations of vote-rigging.