Belarus Review by iSANS — September 28, 2026 

According to Ukrainian monitoring channels, 44 Russian UAVs were recorded in Belarusian airspace between 21 and 27 September 2026. On 21 September, two strike UAVs were reported near Yelsk and Khoiniki. That evening, monitoring channels recorded another aircraft moving westwards over Belarus along the border. On 23 September, a jet-powered UAV entered Belarus from Russia’s Bryansk Region and flew along the border towards the Chornobyl zone. Belarusian Air Force aircraft on combat duty were deployed to intercept the UAVs. There were no reports of their destruction or crashes on Belarusian territory.

A delegation of the Vietnam People’s Army arrived in Belarus on an official visit on 21 September. It was headed by Chief of the General Political Department General of the Army Nguyen Trong Nghia. On 22 September, the delegation held talks with Assistant Defence Minister for Ideological Work Leanid Kasinski. On 23 September, Nguyen Trong Nghia met Defence Minister Viktar Khrenin and State Secretary of the Security Council Aliaksandr Valfovich. The sides discussed, among other issues, a joint documentary about Belarusian military advisers in Vietnam in 1965–1974.

On 21–22 September, a command-and-staff exercise involving territorial defence command bodies was held in Homiel Region. Territorial defence forces practised storming a trench and countering UAVs using turrets. A territorial troops section defended a platoon strongpoint and, together with the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora, destroyed a simulated enemy armoured group. Chief of the General Staff Pavel Muraveika said that the exercise included assault operations, the use of FPV drones and reconnaissance on motorcycles and quad bikes. He described Homiel Region as a “frontline” region because of its proximity to Ukraine.

On 22–23 September, the Interior Ministry held comprehensive command-and-staff exercises in Homiel Region to assess the readiness of units to operate “under special conditions”. Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakou and Internal Troops Commander Mikalai Karpiankou participated in the exercises. The practical phase took place in Homiel and Dobrush on 23 September. Kubrakou ordered an expansion of the powers of operational headquarters commanders so that, under special conditions, Interior Ministry personnel could take decisions without a prosecutor’s authorisation. According to Kubrakou, this was the seventh exercise of this type held in the regions and Minsk.

The combat readiness inspection of the 51st Artillery Brigade (military unit 12147), launched on 24 August, continued. On 23 September, servicemen and reservists conducted direct-fire exercises with 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled guns. On 27 September, the brigade held a comprehensive live-fire training session. According to the Vayar news agency, a 2S5 Giatsint-S battalion and a 2A65 Msta-B battalion participated, with UAV crews adjusting fire. Brigade commander Siarhei Chaika said that after the battalions completed unit cohesion training, the brigade would proceed to cohesion training as a whole. A comprehensive fire-control exercise, an inspection and an exercise “in one of the areas of our country” are planned next.

On 23 September, Aliaksandr Valfovich announced the start of a combat readiness inspection of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces. He said that even in peacetime, these forces perform combat-duty missions and protect Belarus’s air borders and the “external perimeter of the Union State”. More than 70 scenarios are to be played out during the inspection. The simulated adversary will be represented by aircraft operated not only by the Defence Ministry but also by the Emergency Situations Ministry, the State Border Committee and voluntary association in support of the army DOSAAF — ranging from fighter jets flying above 12,000 metres to UAVs operating at an altitude of 50 metres. The STV television channel reported that tasks had been delivered to the central command post of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces. Valfovich justified the inspection by referring to UAV incursions into Poland and the Baltic states and saying that “our closest neighbours, members of the NATO bloc” were unable to deal with them. Pozirk noted that he did not mention that some of these objects had entered those countries from Belarusian territory.

On 23 September, a tactical exercise involving a separate rifle battalion of the Zavodski District territorial troops was held in Minsk, according to the Defence Ministry. The exercise included a scenario involving fire engagement of the enemy, cooperation between engineer and Internal Troops units, and the evacuation of wounded personnel.

On 23 September, Chief of the Engineer Troops of the Russian Armed Forces Yuriy Stavitskiy visited the 188th Engineer Brigade (military unit 72471). According to the Vayar news agency, the brigade’s pontoon-bridge battalion received 40 modernised vehicles belonging to a pontoon-bridge park. The equipment was modernised by Russian defence industry enterprises as part of military-technical assistance to Belarus.

On 23–24 September, another meeting of special representatives under the Treaty on Security Guarantees within the “Union State” was held in Moscow. The meeting was led by Deputy Foreign Ministers Ihar Siakreta and Aleksandr Grushko. The sides discussed threats to the security of the Union State, with an emphasis on nuclear and biological security. Particular attention was paid to what they described as the “escalatory policy and military build-up of NATO and the EU”, as well as measures to counter sanctions. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in Minsk in the first half of 2027.

On 24 September, as part of a comprehensive inspection ordered by the Chief of the General Staff, an inspection of the combat and mobilisation readiness of the 83rd Separate Engineer-Airfield Regiment (military unit 20392) began. According to the regiment’s Telegram channel, personnel are practising training and combat tasks and preparing an airfield to receive aircraft. The same day, the Telegram channel of the 127th Communications Brigade (military unit 30677) reported that a similar inspection had taken place in the brigade. It was conducted by a commission of the General Staff Communications Directorate, with servicemen practising the transition of units from peacetime to wartime footing.

On 24 September, a tactical training session for commanders of Air Force and Air Defence Forces formations and military units was held at a training ground in Brest Region. Participants were shown new target systems simulating UAVs. Aircraft and mobile fire groups equipped with new sighting systems engaged the targets. Air Force and Air Defence Forces Commander Andrei Lukyanovich said that such groups had been established both as organic units and at individual military units. According to him, the main emphasis will be placed on training their personnel.

On 24 September, Colonel Yury Yundzel was appointed First Deputy Chief of Logistics of the Armed Forces — Chief of the Logistics Staff, the Defence Ministry reported. Yundzel previously served as Deputy Head of the Defence Ministry’s Transport Support Department and, until August 2023, commanded the 30th Railway Brigade.

On 25 September, Belarusian servicemen departed for a Russian training ground to participate in CSTO exercises, according to the Defence Ministry. The “Interaction 2026” command-and-staff exercise of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces will be held there, along with the “Search 2026” special reconnaissance exercise and the “Echelon 2026” logistics exercise.

On 25 September, a ceremonial meeting marking Motorised Rifle Troops Day was held at the Central House of Officers, according to the Defence Ministry. Defence Minister Viktar Khrenin said that a critical military-political situation had developed in the region. According to him, mechanised formations are continuously receiving new and modernised weapons and equipment. Dozens of combat vehicles, including BTR-70MB1 and BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers, as well as modern personal protective equipment, have been supplied to motorised rifle units in recent years.

Belarus featured less prominently on the margins of the 81st UN General Assembly than in 2022–2024. Western governments increasingly addressed Belarus as one of several regional security issues, while resuming selective diplomatic contacts with Minsk.

In his address to the UN General Assembly on 23 September, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs described migration pressure as a hybrid threat, saying that migrants were “deliberately used and directed towards our border with Belarus”. On 24 September, Volodymyr Zelenskyy included Belarus among 47 countries whose citizens, he said, Russia was using in the war, calling for measures to prevent their involvement.

The Belarusian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou. In his main address on 26 September, Ryzhankou described international relations as being in a systemic crisis and advocated multipolarity, a stronger role for the “Global Majority” and reforms of international institutions. He accused the EU of imposing sanctions and transport restrictions. On Ukraine, Minsk again offered itself as a “reliable venue for negotiations”, linking a sustainable peace to addressing what it called the “root causes” — the prospect of Ukrainian NATO membership and implementation of the Minsk agreements, thus repeating Moscow’s narratives. While maintaining strongly critical rhetoric towards the West, Ryzhankou also expressed readiness for “equal dialogue”.

On the margins of the forum, Ryzhankou held a broad series of bilateral meetings. The most notable was a meeting on 22 September with Radosław Sikorski — the first contact between the Polish and Belarusian foreign ministers since 2020. Sikorski later said there was “evidently a willingness to unfreeze relations”, while cautioning against overstating the significance of the meeting: “There is an opening, and it is not known where it will lead.”. The sides discussed the border, regional security and prospects for bilateral relations. Ryzhankou also met Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the foreign ministers of several other countries. Belarus and Azerbaijan signed a foreign ministry cooperation plan and a memorandum on consular matters.

On 25 September, Belarus and Russia launched negotiations on the margins of the UN on the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century, an initiative put forward by Belarus in 2023 and subsequently developed with Russia into a multilateral negotiating process. Representatives of a broad group of Asian and Middle Eastern states attended the meeting on the Charter, while nine countries supported a joint statement.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, meanwhile, focused on maintaining Western support for Belarusian democratic forces. In New York, she participated in a dedicated EU event and held meetings with Kaja Kallas, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, Romanian President Nicușor Dan and other politicians. The main topics included political prisoners, sanctions policy, Russian influence and support for civil society. As one of the representatives of Belarusian democratic forces, she also spoke at a UN General Assembly side event entitled “Belarus: Accomplice in Russia’s War Against Ukraine and a Threat to International Security”, organised by Latvia and the EU together with Lithuania, Ukraine and other participating countries. Finland also announced an additional €100,000 contribution to the International Humanitarian Fund supporting victims of repression.

On 21 September, Donald Trump said that the United States was working on a “major deal” to purchase Belarusian potash at a price “substantially lower” than Canadian supplies. Reuters noted continuing logistical constraints, primarily the closure of Klaipėda to Belarusian potash, which requires the use of more expensive Russian routes. Following Trump’s statement, shares of major fertiliser producers fell: Mosaic lost more than 5%, Intrepid Potash 4.5% and Nutrien around 4%. On the same day, Lukashenka said that Belarus currently had no large uncommitted volumes available for the United States, as production for 2026 had already been contracted. On 23 September, U.S. Presidential Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale confirmed that negotiations were continuing but that “there is nothing concrete yet”.

Lithuania continued to maintain a harder anti-Belarusian position. On 23 September, presidential adviser Deividas Matulionis ruled out circumventing EU sanctions to allow the transit of Belarusian potash, although he confirmed that the issue had been discussed with the United States. On 26 September, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said sanctions should remain in place until Minsk changed its behaviour, while noting that Lithuanian intelligence had not recorded a significant increase in threats. No attempted crossings were recorded on the Polish border between 21 and 27 September. Latvia recorded 172 attempts between 21 and 24 September, including 103 on 23 September alone.

On 23 September, the General Court of the European Union dismissed actions seeking the annulment of decisions maintaining EU sanctions against major Belarusian automotive plants MAZ and BELAZ. The Court upheld the Council of the EU’s assessment that MAZ, as a major state-owned enterprise, constitutes a source of revenue for the Lukashenka regime and thereby provides it with support. The judgment also referred to information presented by the Council on MAZ supplies of military trucks to the Russian armed forces. In the case of BELAZ, the Court likewise upheld its classification as a state-owned company providing financial support to the regime. Both companies were ordered to pay the legal costs.

Belarusian oil refineries continue to sharply increase fuel supplies to Russia amid shortages on the Russian market. According to industry estimates, petrol exports to Russia could reach around 205,000 tonnes in September, compared with approximately 45,000 tonnes a year earlier, while shipments in January–September are expected to exceed 1.05 million tonnes. Diesel deliveries in September are estimated even higher, at around 246,000 tonnes. Belarusian petroleum product supplies to Russia have now reached their highest level.

On 21 September, Viktar Sheiman briefed Lukashenka on new high-technology projects and the expansion of activities in Africa. At Sheiman’s previous briefing in January 2025, the establishment of enterprises in the field of artificial intelligence had been explicitly identified as one of the new areas of activity. Lukashenka said that the African direction would be expanded further. “In the near future, we will be looking at Africa even more closely,” he said.

On 25 September in New York, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi told Maksim Ryzhankou that Oman’s first ambassador resident in Minsk had been appointed and would soon arrive in Belarus. The appointee is Nasser bin Sulaiman bin Hamad Al Harthy. The sides also discussed Omani investment, assembly plants for Belarusian machinery, food-sector projects and the launch of direct air services.

On 25 September, Lukashenka visited AMKODOR-LESMASH amid continuing financial problems at the holding. In 2025, the state acquired its debt-laden core, which had liabilities exceeding $310 million, while former principal owner Aliaksandr Shakutsin and his family retained control of or stakes in a network of 24 related companies, including suppliers of critical components and Russian dealers. Lukashenka demanded faster localisation and efforts to occupy market niches being vacated by competitors. During the same visit, Lukashenka criticised the consequences of consolidating agricultural enterprises. “They merged the farms without thinking about how to manage them,” he said, citing Haviady-Agro, which was created from five farms. Distances between its units reach 40–50 km, while some sites have no dedicated management structures. Lukashenka’s administration had separately reviewed the organisational structure of enlarged agricultural enterprises in Mahiliou Region two days earlier.

The number of individual entrepreneurs continues to decline rapidly. As of 1 September, 198,300 individual entrepreneurs were registered in Belarus — 10.6% fewer than a year earlier. The number of legal entities increased by only 2.3% over the same period, to 163,800. The trend coincides with changes to the operating regime for small businesses: since 2026, individual entrepreneurs have been permitted to engage only in activities included on an approved list, while others must establish a commercial company or cease operations. The increase in the number of companies remains considerably smaller than the decline in individual entrepreneurs, meaning that the statistics do not show a transition to legal entities on a comparable scale. Meanwhile, the average accrued monthly salary in Belarus stood at around $1,030 (Br3,135.9), having increased by 8.4% compared with August 2025. Against the backdrop of weak production dynamics and the contraction of the small-business sector, economic growth remains largely supported by domestic demand.

On 23 September, the results were published of a survey conducted in July–August by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research among 2,045 respondents. Peace and security were the most frequently cited concerns, mentioned by 55.1% of respondents. They were followed by inflation and prices (41.1%) and wage levels (37.7%). Housing affordability was cited by 25.9%, while 23.8% named the quality of healthcare and access to medicines. Among respondents aged 18–30, wages ranked first at 51.3%, followed by housing at 49.5%, while among pensioners security and pension levels predominated.

On 24 September, the press service of Aliaksandr Lukashenka reported that he had signed a decree pardoning 15 convicts, including 13 people who had committed “extremist crimes”. It was reported that the majority of those pardoned (ten of them ) are women. The names of those pardoned were not mentioned. Human rights defenders and the United Transitional Cabinet are checking the information about the pardon.

On 25 September, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added 13 more people to the “List of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens or stateless persons involved in extremist activities”. Among them were the spouses Tatsiana and Dzmitry Korsakau and their daughter Pelaheya. In June 2026, the Minsk City Court sentenced Pelaheya to 11 years of imprisonment in absentia. Her parents were sentenced to 12 and 14 years of imprisonment respectively. The court additionally imposed a fine of 50,000 rubles (approximately 14,300 Euro) on the family. The couple was charged with high treason, illegal actions with firearms, ammunition and explosives, as well as illegal movement of weapons, ammunition and toxic substances across the border. Their daughter was found guilty of high treason. She commented that the charges against the family were absurd and linked the criminal prosecution to the fact that she lives in Ukraine and kept in touch with her parents. There are now 6,930 names on the “extremist” list.

Last week, information appeared that former political prisoners had begun to be removed from the KGB’s list of “terrorists”. In recent weeks, 12 people have been removed from the list. All of them were former political prisoners. Financial restrictions will finally be lifted from them – they will be able to open bank accounts, buy and sell real estate, and obtain SIM cards for themselves. However, this is not a sign of any political thaw; the KGB simply follows its own procedure – according to the decree, if a person’s criminal record under “terrorist” charges is expunged, he/she must be deleted from the list. Now it is the time for some political prisoners who were released after being pardoned in August and September 2024 to be removed from it. At the moment, 738 Belarusian nationals remain on the list of “terrorists”.

The arrest of retired lieutenant colonel Dzmitry Zora, whom the security forces considered to be an analyst of Valery Sakhashchik’s team, led to the arrests of officers at the Machulishchi airbase. It is known that at least a dozen people have been arrested who are suspected of communicating with Zora, which is interpreted as cooperation with the United Transitional Cabinet and its then “Minister of Defence”, paratrooper commander Valery Sakhashchik. The detainees are former colleagues of Zora, who know him personally. These are mostly long-service pilots, among them colonels. They are now held in the KGB detention centre. Those arrested deny intentionally transmitting information; the charges came as a shock to them. Presumably, from the very beginning of Zora’s cooperation with Sakhashchik’s team, the security services knew about this from some source in his entourage. The military officers were warned that Zora was a “traitor” and that they should be careful when talking to him, or better still stop communicating with him altogether. But still, some of them talked to Zora about general topics out of old friendship. There is no exact information yet on the charges brought against the officers, but according to the logic of the current trials, this could be either “facilitating extremist activities” or “high treason”.

Leanid Marozau, legal adviser to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, urged not to focus on the stories of Belarusians who travelled to Belarus for a new passport and returned without any problems. The reason for his warning was reports in Belarusian diaspora groups, where people said that they had submitted documents for a new passport, had been checked at the border, had visited Belarus, and had returned to their country of residence. According to Marozau, such an experience cannot serve as a guarantee of safety for other people. “Someone else’s positive experience of traveling to Belarus today cannot be a guarantee of your safety. The fact that someone was quickly let through the border does not mean that the same thing will happen to you. And it’s not just about checking your phone. There are cases of interrogations, hours-long checks, harsh personal searches, up to the requirement to undress, detentions and criminal prosecutions. Moreover, you may be allowed to cross the border and be detained a few days after returning home. Therefore, a trip to Belarus to get a new passport is actually a roulette game with one’s own freedom. You can get a document and return, or you can come for a passport and not be able to leave. It’s safer to look for available legalisation options in your country of residence than to risk your freedom for a passport,” he said.

In September, Mikhail Katz, an IT specialist and entrepreneur who has been living in Israel for the last seven years, was detained on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border. According to Katz, he crossed the border with his wife and two children. Security officers checked their mobile phones and found that he had subscriptions to two YouTube channels, which the Belarusian authorities recognised as “extremist materials”. His wife was subscribed to one such channel. After the check, Katz was detained. He spent three days in a temporary detention facility, after which the court fined him. Mobile phones were also confiscated. “I have been living in Israel for seven years now. I come to Belarus from time to time. Every time before that, I check my phone for subscriptions and channels, I clean everything, delete them, just in case. And this time, I also thought that everything would go well. But it didn’t go according to plan. I handed over the phone to them. Naturally, it is impossible not to give it to them. And guess where I found trouble? It was not on Telegram, Facebook, or Instagram, but on YouTube,” he said. After his arrest, Katz created a service for verifying subscriptions and the contents of devices and suggested Belarusians use it before arriving at the border. “I realised that people like me, who have fallen out of the domestic political agenda of Belarus, can get into such a situation….. I was shocked by the fact that new prohibited channels and groups appear on the website of the Ministry of Justice every day. From two to more than ten channels appear daily…. In other words, you have no idea what’s on your phone, who you’ve subscribed to before. You do not follow it anymore, but trust me, they’ll find everything. They’ll find everything, and you’ll have to spend some time in detention,” he warned.

Belarusian security forces have again issued threats to users of Threads  social network. In early June, the Investigative Committee had already announced increased control over Belarusians’ posts on Threads and TikTok. This time, Natallia Sakharchuk, Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, spoke out. She noted that Threads, according to the latest research, is most actively used by people aged 30-40 who express their dissatisfaction with anything. According to her, if a person is dissatisfied with something or notices an injustice, he should not write on social networks, but contact the police. Sakharchuk stated that there are already facts of authors of posts on social networks being brought to administrative responsibility. “I want to say that it is possible to be brought not only to administrative responsibility, but also to criminal responsibility. Because you need to think with your head about what you post on any of the social networks, because the consequences will not keep you waiting,” she added. She assured that police officers are monitoring the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Aksana Shaliapina, a 48-year-old political prisoner, has been diagnosed with cancer, and she is in a medical unit almost all the time. It is, however, unknown whether she receives all the necessary assistance there, reported “Viasna” Human Rights Centre. Shaliapina was sentenced to three years of imprisonment under the charge of facilitating “extremist activities” for helping political prisoners. She has been in custody for a year and three months.

Human rights defenders reported serious health problems for political prisoner Yury Bialko, who was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment. Bialko was detained in September 2020. He was accused of preparing for mass riots, destroying property and illegal possession of weapons. The court sentenced him to nine years of imprisonment in a high-security colony. In detention, he was repeatedly placed in a punishment cell and a cell-type room, and his regime was strengthened. He has been on prison regime for the fifth year. He is currently in Zhodzina prison No. 8. According to a former political prisoner familiar with the situation, who reported to “Viasna” about it, Bialko has lost a lot of weight and looks much worse than before his imprisonment. He said that one of the prisoners heard Bialko moaning in pain in the cell. It is unknown whether he receives medical care. According to “Viasna”, Bialko is allowed to purchase goods in the prison store for only one basic amount (45 rubles or about 13 Euro) per month. He is also allowed one parcel weighing up to two kilograms per year. During his five years in prison, he has not been allowed a single visit with his family.

The Minsk City Court sentenced Sviataslau Padvashetski to 13 years of imprisonment in a high-security colony for “high treason” and “drug trafficking”. In addition, the court imposed a fine of 500 basic units (approximately 6,450 Euro) on him. Padvashetski graduated from a flight school in Ukraine. After graduation, he returned to Belarus and was doing an internship at Belavia state enterprise. At the same time, he continued to communicate with former classmates, some of whom joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the outbreak of the full-scale war. Shortly before the arrest, Padvashetski sent one of his friends a photo of the plane on which he was flying during an internship and wrote that he would fly on it. The trial took place behind closed doors, so the details of the charges and the evidence on which the verdict was based are unknown. Padvashetski is currently in pre-trial detention centre No. 1 in Minsk.

A criminal case has been initiated against a 72-year-old pensioner from the Sviatlahorsk district under a charge of publicly insulting a government official. According to the Department of Internal Affairs of the Homel Regional Executive Committee, she uploaded a publication on social networks “containing an insult to the district police inspectors of the Sviatlahorsk district police Department.”

At the end of September, the Minsk Regional Court began considering a criminal case against Henrykh Aheeu, Yury Vasileuski and Ivan Balashenka. According to “Viasna”, they are charged under nine articles, including “act of terrorism”, “participation in a terrorist organisation” and “high treason”. Aheeu is a former law enforcement officer from the Brest region. He was detained in February 2024 in the Russian-occupied Crimea and handed over to Belarus. As “Viasna” reported, he is being investigated in the “BYPOL case”. Vasileuski was detained in September 2025. He worked as a senior lecturer at the Belarusian National Technical University, and since 2017 he has been a member of the register of forensic experts specialising in “forensic construction and technical expertise”. Human rights defenders know nothing about Balashenka. The details of the criminal case are unknown.

The authorities did not manage to sell the car and the icon belonging to former political prisoner priest Henrykh Akalatovich. The auction did not take place due to the lack of participants. Now BelUrObespechenie offers the reclaimer to keep the unsold property as a way of ensuring the repayment of the debt on enforcement proceedings. This is not the first attempt by the Belarusian authorities to sell Akalatovich’s property. Earlier, his icons were auctioned off. They were purchased by the only registered participant of the auction. The auction of his land failed. His cars have already been put up for auction as well. Akalatovich was detained at the end of 2023. He was accused of espionage in favour of Poland and the Vatican and sentenced to eleven years of imprisonment under the charge of high treason. In November 2025, he was pardoned and left for Rome after his release.

BYSOL foundation started payments to political prisoners released on 16 September. Seven of the 25 political prisoners released have already received their first 1,000 Euro payments. Upon completion of the fundraising campaign, they will receive a second payment from funds raised in excess of the initial target of 25,000 Euro. By now more than 37,000 Euro have been collected. The fundraising campaign will last until 16 October.

On 22 September, a court in St. Gallen, Switzerland, considered an appeal against the acquittal of Yury Harauski, a former soldier of the Belarusian special rapid reaction unit, who had confessed to his participation in the disappearance and subsequent murder in 1999 of Lukashenka’s opponents, Yury Zakharanko, Anatol Krasouski and Viktar Hanchar, in an interview with DW. The human rights organisation Trial International initiated a lawsuit against Harauski. The Prosecutor’s office conducted a preliminary investigation and found grounds to charge Harauski with enforced disappearance, which is considered to be a crime against humanity, which falls under universal jurisdiction and could be tried in Switzerland. The court of first instance acquitted Harauski in September 2023, finding that the evidence gathered was insufficient to convict him. In addition, the judge expressed doubts about the reliability of his testimony. The victims’ representatives appealed this verdict. “The decision of the court of first instance was, to put it mildly, a farce,” said Philip Grant, Executive Director of Trial International, “I don’t think the court of first instance realised the importance of this case. The judge did not hear the victims, the translation was terribly poor, and, in our opinion, the court applied the law incorrectly.” It is expected that the decision on the appeal will be made in October.

During her visit to New York to participate in the 81^st UN General Assembly, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a number of meetings with representatives of European countries, the United States and international organisations. Among the topics discussed were the release of political prisoners, the cessation of repression in Belarus, maintaining sanctions pressure on the Belarusian regime, support for civil society, and further steps in implementing U.S. policy towards Belarus. “I see unity among the countries on the issues of Belarus. It is very important. It is very important to distinguish Belarusians from the regime, and Belarus from Russia. While isolating the regime, it is important not to isolate Belarusians. And I see that this is well understood,” Tsikhanouskaya commented after the meetings.

Finland will contribute additional 100,000 Euro to the International Humanitarian Fund, which finances assistance to victims of repression in Belarus. This is Finland’s second contribution to the Fund. During Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and State Secretary Passi Rayala last week, in addition to funding of the International Humanitarian Fund, further efforts to free political prisoners, the security situation in Belarus and the risks of the country’s further involvement in the war against Ukraine were discussed. Issues related to Belarusians in Finland were also raised, including expired passports and legalisation.

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