Ukrainians in Belarusian prisons: persecution, repression and sentences
Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime persecutes not only Belarusians but also foreign nationals. Since 2020, at least 75 foreigners have been subjected to political repression in Belarus. Currently, 38 foreign nationals are imprisoned, including at least 14 Ukrainians, and another Ukrainian citizen was sentenced to “home chemistry” (a type of house arrest used in Belarus).
Ukrainians are usually accused of “agent activity”, “espionage” and “attempted sabotage”. Some sentences are particularly harsh, for example, Serhii and Pavlo Kabarchuk, father and son, were sentenced by the Homel Regional Court to 20 years in a high-security penal colony.
There have also been cases of persecution of Ukrainians for participating in the 2020-2021 protests in Belarus, during which they demanded the resignation of the country’s self-proclaimed president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and fair elections. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainians in Belarus have faced increased pressure: they are detained under administrative and criminal articles, and at Belarusian border crossing points, they are subjected to thorough interrogations and phone checks.
In this article, we briefly tell the stories of the detention and imprisonment of 15 Ukrainian citizens in Belarus.
Serhii Boiko – “agent from Ukraine”
According to the human rights organisation Viasna, in the summer of 2023, a Ukrainian citizen, Serhii Boiko, who lived in the Belarusian city of Narowlya, was convicted of ‘’agent activity‘’ (Article 358-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus). The trial was held in the Homel Regional Court in a closed session. The term of imprisonment is unknown, but the sentence is related to imprisonment. It is also known that Boiko is serving his sentence in Penal Colony No. 3 in Belarus, and on 8 September 2023, he was added to the list of Belarusian citizens, foreign nationals and stateless persons involved in extremist activities.
Yurii Bondarenko – imprisoned for “insulting Lukashenko”
In July 2024, the Bobruisk District Court sentenced Ukrainian Yurii Bondarenko to 1 year and 6 months in a general regime colony for “insulting Lukashenko”. The case was considered behind closed doors, so the details of the man’s prosecution are unknown.
The list of Belarusian nationals, foreign nationals and stateless persons involved in “extremist activities” states that Yurii is a resident of the Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi and is currently serving a prison sentence.
Viacheslav Borodii – a gamekeeper who was led in chains during investigative procedures.
Viacheslav BorodiiUkrainian gamekeeper Viacheslav Borodii was detained in the Yelsk district of Belarus, which borders on the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine. This became known from a propaganda film, which says that Borodii allegedly “was trained at the training centre of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine” after the start of a full-scale war, and since March 2023, he has also “started cooperating with the Security Service of Ukraine”.
On 15 October 2024, the case of Viacheslav Borodii and two Belarusians, Mykola Losovskyi and Valentyn Poloz, began to be considered by the Homel Regional Court. During the investigation, Viacheslav was led in chains. On 2 December 2024, he was sentenced to 10 years in a high-security penal colony. Officially, he was accused of agent activity (Article 358-1 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus), illegal movement of weapons across the border (Article 333-1 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus), illegal actions with firearms (Article 295, Part 4 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus), organisation of illegal migration (Article 371-1) and illegal crossing of the state border (Article 371, Part 3 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus).
Lidiia Hruk – article “terrorism” for taking “a photo of the border”
Lidiia and Yevhen HrukUkrainian citizen Lidiia Hruk was detained in the Malaryta district of Belarus. A propaganda film by the state-run Belarusian TV channel ONT says that Lidiia and her husband, Yevhen, were photographing border objects. According to the film’s authors, the couple were charged with “terrorism”. The family has four minor children. Details of the case are unknown.
Roman Huzynskyi – sentenced to “home chemistry”
Roman Huzynskyi, a 23-year-old Ukrainian citizen, was detained in connection with his participation in the Minsk protests. The Sovetski District Court of Minsk sentenced him under the article “organising and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them”. He was given a non-custodial sentence known as “home chemistry” – a form of house arrest under constant surveillance. Under this restriction, he is prohibited from leaving the country, attending entertainment events, or turning off his phone.
Serhii and Pavlo Kabarchuk – each sentenced to 20 years in a high-security penal colony.
Serhii and Pavlo KabarchukFormer Ukrainian border guard 61-year-old Serhii Kabarchuk and his 31-year-old son Pavlo Kabarchuk were detained in February 2024 in the Lyelchytsy district of Belarus. They were allegedly found in possession of a mobile phone, a mini-camera, explosives, car keys, a night vision device, a flashlight, and other items.
The Belarusian court found the father and son to be “members of a sabotage and reconnaissance group who, on the instructions of the SBU, transported explosives for further terrorist acts in the territory of the Russian Federation and Belarus”. The Homel Regional Court sentenced them to 20 years in a high-security penal colony and fined them 28,000 rubles.
The Kabarchuks were charged with four articles of the Belarusian Criminal Code:
- Preparation for an act of terrorism (Part 1 of Article 13, Part 3 of Article 289);
- Illegal actions with firearms, ammunition and explosives as part of an organised group (Part 4 of Article 295);
- Agent activity (Article 358-1);
- Illegal movement of poisonous substances, firearms, ammunition, explosives across the border (Part 3 of Article 333-1).
Oleksandr Kotovych – 5 years in prison for “defaming Lukashenko”
Ukrainian Oleksandr Kotovych was sentenced to 5 years in prison in Belarus. In March 2024, the Minsk City Court accused him of ‘insulting and defaming Lukashenko” (Articles 368 and 367 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus), “inciting hatred” (Article 130 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus) and “participation in an extremist formation” (Article 361-1 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus).
Ivan Lykholat – accused of allegedly ‘”preparing to blow up the railway”
Ivan LykholatUkrainian Ivan Lykholat had been living in Belarus since 2013, was married to a Belarusian citizen and was raising minor children when he was detained “for cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine”. In October 2024, he was put on trial together with two Belarusians, Borys Pukhalskyi and Ivan Borodych, in a case of “preparing to blow up a railway”.
The prosecution stated that Lykholat contacted the SBU, which instructed him to blow up the railway tracks, and he, in turn, engaged Borodych and Pukhalskyi, who allegedly had skills in mine detonation.
The men were accused of “terrorism”, and Lykholat was also charged with “agent activity”. In December 2024, they were sentenced to 11 to 25 years in prison. The trial was held behind closed doors, so the terms of imprisonment of each defendant are unknown.
Artem Makovei – DJ behind bars
Artem MakoveiArtem Makovei, a 25-year-old Ukrainian citizen, was detained in Kobryn, Belarus, for “agent activity”. Artem lived with his grandmother, his father died early and his mother was seriously ill. He had lived in Belarus since 2009 and worked as a DJ. In January 2023, Artem was summoned to the migration service to take a polygraph. Soon after, according to his mother, he stopped responding to messages, and in March 2023, it became known that he had been arrested. He was detained by the Belarusian KGB.
The trial of the young man began on 29 April 2024 in the Brest regional court. The case was considered behind closed doors, so the details of Makovei’s prosecution are unknown. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison for “agent activity” (Article 358-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus).
According to Radio Liberty, Artem’s mother has not been able to find out anything about her son since his detention. The woman came to Belarus, visited the detention centre, the KGB, and other authorities, but no one explained anything to her. During her last attempt to come to Belarus, she was not allowed in, and her passport was stamped with a 10-year entry ban.
Mariia Misiuk – schoolgirl accused of creating a “terrorist cell”
Mariia MisiukIn 2024, the propaganda channel ONT in Belarus aired the film “Children in the Crosshairs: Recruited by the Enemy”, which told about the detention of seven teenagers for “cooperation with the Ukrainian special services”. The film said that the teenagers allegedly united in the anarchist cell “Black Nightingales”, which was created “under the leadership of the National Liberation Army of Ukraine” by 16-year-old Ukrainian citizen Mariia Misiuk, who moved to Belarus with her family in 2022. The children were accused of “terrorism”. Mariia’s current procedural status and whereabouts are unknown.
Mykhailo Stoliarchuk and Dmytro Hudyk – from the bus to prison
Mykhailo Stoliarchuk and Dmytro HudykVolyn residents Mykhailo Stolyarchuk and Dmytro Hudyk worked on a bus service that transported passengers from Ukraine to Belarus. On February 22, 2022, the men were returning to Ukraine from another service. When the bus arrived at the Belarusian checkpoint “Mokrany”, a black car drove up to it, unknown people entered the cabin, took out the drivers and the conductor and took them in an unknown direction.
The men were accused of “collecting data on military equipment and facilities since 2018.” On November 24, 2022, the Brest Regional Court passed a verdict in the case for “agent activities” (Article 358-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus) and sent Mykhailo to a penal colony for six years and Dmytro for five.
Filimonov Stanislav – detained for participating in protests in 2021
Stanislav FilimonovStanislav Filimonov, a 26-year-old Ukrainian originally from Odesa, was detained in May 2021 for participating in the Brest protests against the regime of the self-proclaimed head of state, Aleksandr Lukashenko. In November 2021, the court sentenced Stanislav to 5 years in a high-security penal colony and a fine of 100 base units for allegedly “participating in mass riots” (Part 2 of Article 293 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus).
Andrii Shmai – abducted and convicted for communicating with his brother in Ukraine
Andrii ShmaiAndrii Shmai was born in Chernihiv and holds Ukrainian citizenship. In 2006-2013, he served as an inspector at the Novi Yarylovychi border crossing point on the Belarus-Ukraine border until he moved to Belarus. Shmai became a building maintenance worker at the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and was detained at his workplace in January 2023.
The family did not know what had happened to him, and only two weeks later, Andrii’s wife received a call from an “investigator” asking for the documents. Even with the help of a lawyer, they could not understand the reasons for the detention until a film was aired on the propaganda channel ONT. It stated that Andrii allegedly “regularly sent information about the situation in the regional executive committee via the Signal messenger to his younger brother, who serves in the Chernihiv Operational Command North”.
In February 2024, the Vitebsk Regional Court began hearing the case of 37-year-old Andrii Shmai on charges of “espionage” and “agent activity”. The trial was held behind closed doors. The sentence passed on Shmai is unknown, as well as his place of detention.
Everyone can contribute to the liberation of Ukrainians from Belarusian captivity. Share the stories of people behind bars, appeal to Ukrainian and international governments, diplomats and organisations with a demand to put pressure on the Belarusian authorities. Remember: every voice matters, and solidarity is our strength.
The article was written with the support of Viasna and Dissidentby, which provided information about foreigners held by Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime.
