Checkpoint where Belarusian opp members crossed to Ukraine

Security officials guarded border between Belarus and Ukraine where a leading opposition activist resisted an attempt by authorities to deport her as part of government efforts to end a month of protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Maria Kolesnikova, a member of Coordination Council created by opposition to facilitate talks with longtime leader on a transition of power, had been detained Monday in capital of Minsk along with two or council members.

y were driven early Tuesday to border, where authorities told m to cross into Ukraine.

When y arrived in a -man's land between countries, Kolesnikova ripped her passport into small pieces to make it impossible for authorities to expel her.

She remained in custody on Belarusian side of border since incident.

Two or council members who crossed into Ukraine, Ivan Kravtsov and Anton Rodnenkov, described Kolesnikova's action with open admiration.

Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus' Border Guard Committee, confirmed she is in custody of Belarusian authorities but refused to give any details of what happened on border.

Belarus has used similar tactics to force or opposition figures to leave country, seeking to end a month of demonstrations that followed reelection of Lukashenko in a vote that protesters see as rigged.

Sviatlana Tsikhauskaya, main opposition challenger to Lukashenko, left for Lithuania a day after election under pressure from authorities.