Andrey, the owner of the Grodno ethnic store "Tsudounya," was arrested on February 6, 2025, in connection with a criminal case related to the 2020 protests and later sentenced to restricted freedom.
He founded the store in 2015. After the 2020 elections, the business faced fines and the threat of losing its premises, but Andrei remained in Belarus and continued to support it, believing it was important for the preservation and development of Belarusian culture.
On March 19, 2026, he was pardoned after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole (among a group of 235 prisoners left in Belarus).
