MINSK, August 29. /TASS/. Four Russian journalists who work in the editorial offices of the American Associated Press agency and the German TV channel ARD left Belarus and they are already in Russia, Russian Ambassador to Minsk Dmitry Mezentsev told reporters.

"The journalists, including four Russian citizens, were informed that, in accordance with the ruling of the Interdepartmental Commission on Information Security, their accreditation was revoked. This decision implies the mandatory completion of the business trip to Belarus," the ambassador said.

According to him, the diplomats of the embassy, who provided consular support to compatriots, ensured their transfer to the territory of Russia, and they just reported about crossing the state border

The Russian diplomat added that on August 28, law enforcement officers in Minsk carried out an inspection to establish the identities of employees of a number of foreign media outlets working in the republic.

Later, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reported that by the decision of the Interdepartmental Commission for Information Security under the Security Council of Belarus, a number of journalists were deprived of their accreditation from the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, the Belarusian authorities expelled correspondents of the Czech TV channel Current Time and the Russian TV channel Dozhd from the country due to the lack of accreditation.

Belarus held its presidential election on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko received 80.1% of the vote, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya garnered 10.12%. She refused to recognize the election’s results, left Belarus and is currently in Lithuania. Protests erupted in the country's capital of Minsk and several other cities following the presidential vote, leading to clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers.