All persecuted

On February 15, 2024, a "counter-terrorist operation" regime was introduced in the Lelchitsy district of the Gomel region on the border with Ukraine. The population was asked to "remain calm and obey the demands of law enforcement officers." The KGB claims to have detained members of a "sabotage and reconnaissance group" that included citizens of Ukraine and Belarus. Among those detained were Ukrainian citizens, father and son Sergei and Pavel Kabarchuks. Sergei Kabarchuks, born in 1963, are from the Kovel district of the Volyn region. The father and son were detained in February 2024 in the Lelchitsy district. "Explosive devices and other means of destruction" were found on them. The KGB "established" that the explosive devices were intended for terrorist attacks in Belarus and Russia, and the "infiltration of the group" was organized by the Security Service of Ukraine.

At the same time, Brest resident Vitaly Vlasyuk, born in 1970, was also detained. He was accused of smuggling (Part 3 of Article 228 of the Criminal Code).

The reason for the detention of Gomel resident Vilen Turgunov was comments on the Internet, including negative ones towards the police.

Vilen Turgunov is 55 years old. His father is from Uzbekistan, his mother is Belarusian. Vilen graduated from the university in Russian Novozybkov (Bryansk region) with a degree in jurisprudence. Vilen Turgunov worked at the Zheleznodorozhny District Department of Internal Affairs of the regional center. There were serious problems there. Back in 2001, he received a reprimand for “irresponsible attitude to service,” in 2002 he had “incomplete official inconsistency,” and in 2004 he received a reprimand for “gross violation of official discipline, violation of an order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

Later, the former policeman worked at a construction and installation trust in Gomel.

The detainee actively maintained pages on various social networks, where he spoke about political and social events. For his support of Ukraine, other netizens called him a “Banderite.”

Vilen Turgunov’s relative, Igor Kazubov, is also serving a sentence.

Gleb Dudko is known in the musical environment not only of Gomel, but also far beyond its borders. Combining his talents as a musician and programmer, he launched at least two music IT startups.

Gleb’s father Oleg Dudko is a famous opera singer in Gomel and a former soloist of the Philharmonic.

In 2018, Gleb, together with programmer Maxim Grinevich, launched the ConcertMaster project. The idea of the project is to create a program that could automatically accompany vocalists .

Gleb was detained in March 2024 in Dobrush and sentenced to arrest for “distributing extremist materials .” After this, the man was transferred to a pre-trial detention center.

From Gleb Dudko’s publications on social networks, it can be understood that in 2022 he condemned military aggression against Ukraine. What exactly served as the basis for the political persecution of the Gomel resident is unknown.

He is involved in a case of treason together with the Prokhorov family from Grabovka.

Participants in the closed trial have signed non-disclosure agreements. An unofficial source reports that the criminal case concerns photographing various objects on the territory of Belarus, and that the defendants in the case were followed by special services for some time before their arrest.

The reason for such a severe punishment, as well as the circumstances of the initiation of a criminal case, are still unknown.

According to the investigation, from October 2020 to February 2022, the 74-year-old man systematically posted comments under photographs of government officials, where, “without mincing words, he insulted, publicly humiliated and discredited their honor and dignity.” During a search, ammunition was found at his home. The pensioner told investigators that he collected them.

It is alleged that Kireychik “insulted” as many as 135 security officials - employees of the KGB, the prosecutor's office, the police, the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Defense and the judicial system.

She was sentenced in the Zavodskoy District Court of Minsk to imprisonment under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them) and Part 4 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code (fraud). The case was considered from April 12 to October 30, 2024, at least 83 hearings were held. The circumstances of the case, as well as the verdict, are unknown. Along with Zhanna, 7 more people were convicted .

Natalia Davydulina is 47 years old and is from Zhlobin. It is known from Natalia's social networks that she and her husband have a large family - five children, one of whom is still in elementary school.

One of Natalia's sons, Denis Davydulin, is a former political prisoner. He was detained in March 2021 and sentenced to a year and a half in prison for "going out onto the roadway and actively disobeying police officers" on the night of August 10.
She has never given media interviews. Court schedules show that she was tried on January 24, 2024, for “dissemination of extremist materials.” She was likely detained during a raid on those in solidarity with political prisoners.

The trial will begin on August 23 in the Gomel Regional Court. Thus, most likely, Natalia is accused of some kind of assistance to other prisoners. It is known that during the January raid, mainly those who helped others were left behind bars - they made transfers and parcels to pretrial detention centers and colonies, even for very small amounts.

Marina is a Belarusian-speaking IT specialist from EPAM who is also involved in creative work. She writes articles for the Belarusian Wikipedia, makes illustrations, translates into Belarusian, and writes poetry. After the start of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, she moved to Georgia, but then returned to Belarus for unknown reasons. Soon after, she was detained as part of a criminal case and convicted under the articles “financing extremist activity” and “financing or other financial support of war.”

Gorelov was the head of the Belinvestbank directorate for the Gomel region. The last news about him dates back to February 2023, and in December 2023, Pavel Yurkovets, the former head of Belinvestbank in Mozyr, was appointed head instead of him.

The trial of Oleg Gorelov began on February 8 in the Gomel Regional Court.

On June 14, 2024, the appeal was considered and the verdict entered into force.

In 2017, the guy received a diploma in social pedagogy after graduating from the Mozyr State Pedagogical University named after Ivan Shamyakin. Around this time, as can be seen from his social networks, he began to speak critically of the authorities. The man was especially active in opposing the odious decree “on parasites.”

According to the case materials , the man regularly spoke negatively on social networks regarding Lukashenko, and also called for sanctions against Belarus. He also joined the “extremist” formation “BYPOL”, agreed with members of the “Kalinovsky Regiment” to participate in military operations in Ukraine, and also transferred money to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the “extremist” telegram channel.

Natalia was detained during a massive raid by security forces on January 23–24, 2024, aimed at relatives of political prisoners and people expressing solidarity with them. She was convicted in a criminal case opened under the article “assistance to extremist activity.”

Father of political prisoner Nikita Zolotarev . Mikhail was detained on August 8, 2023 and sentenced to 15 days of arrest under Art. 19.11 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus (distribution of extremist materials). After the first arrest, he was not released and was sentenced under the same article to another 15 days, and then to another 15.

On September 22, 2023, on the eve of his release after serving his third administrative arrest in a row, he was again found guilty of committing an offense and sent to a detention center for the fourth time.

On October 24, by decision of the KGB, the closed Telegram chat “Gomel for Nikita Zolotorev” was recognized as an “extremist formation,” and its only designated participant was the father of the political prisoner, Mikhail Lapunov.

Human rights activists learned that some time after serving administrative arrests, Mikhail was taken into custody. As of the summer of 2024, he is being held in a pre-trial detention center .