Sergey is originally from Kherson, Ukraine, but has lived in Belarus almost his entire life. He has worked in various blue-collar jobs throughout his life. He has two young children.
The man was detained in February 2023. In a pro-government video, he claims to have left comments on Telegram and registered with the "Plan Peramoga" chatbot. He was first convicted in October 2023 for "inciting other social hatred" (Part 1, Article 130 of the Criminal Code).
On December 8, 2023, the appeal was heard and the verdict came into force.
Sergei's next trial will begin on September 27, 2024, in the Minsk City Court. He is charged under four articles: "participation in an extremist group" (Part 3 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code), "incitement of other social hatred" (Part 1 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code), "insulting a government official" (Article 369 of the Criminal Code), and "insulting Lukashenko" (Part 1 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code). Sergei faces up to five years in prison in addition to his previous sentence.
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).
