Alesya, a mother of two and the wife of political prisoner Maxim Sergienko, was detained in a massive security raid in January 2024 targeting relatives of political prisoners and people who sent parcels and letters to prisoners.
On February 21, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Mogilev heard Alesya's case under Decree No. 7 "On Foreign Gratuitous Aid." Under this decree, those targeted by a mass investigation conducted in late January 2024 are being tried in Belarus. At the time, KGB officers were attempting to determine who received food aid from abroad through the activities of INeedHelp, an organization designated as a so-called "extremist organization."
In July 2024, Alesya was tried for "assisting extremist activity" and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.
On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
