Elena was traveling with her son to visit her parents when she was arrested for assisting political prisoners.
In recent years, she and her family lived in Warsaw. There, in February 2021, Elena became a co-founder and lead business analyst at the startup GlobalTips, which helps government agencies transition to digital. Their service allows users to leave cashless tips to waiters using a QR code.
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).
