On the morning of February 26, 2023, a Russian DRLV A-50 long-range reconnaissance aircraft exploded in two places at the Machulishchi airfield. It was used to guide Russian missiles to targets in Ukraine. It was reported that the aircraft was currently undergoing repairs at the 325th Aircraft Repair Plant, part of the Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex in Russia.
The main defendant in the case and, as official bodies and propagandists claimed , the perpetrator of the sabotage, Nikolai Shvets, was released in June in a prisoner exchange with Ukraine.
Nikolai Shvets, Alexander Azarov, Alla Yatsuta, Vitaly Yakutik, Evgenia Tochitskaya , Mikhail Demin and Sergei Loparov were tried in absentia.
A trial in absentia for the criminal case against Andrei Balmakov, Evgeniya Tochitskaya, Ekaterina Ostrova, and Antonina Naydovich was scheduled for April 22, 2026. All were charged under Part 2 of Article 361-4 (assistance to extremist activity), and Antonina was additionally charged under Article 369 (insulting a government official) of the Criminal Code.
Trial outcome 03.10.2024
15 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions, 1000 basic values fine (trial in absentia).
Appeal 27.12.2024
unknown (trial in absentia).
Trial outcome 08.05.2026
unknown years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions, 600 basic values fine.
Final verdict by partial addition:
17 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions, 1600 basic values fine.
He was arrested for participating in protests in Baranovichi in 2020. A video of the detainees was published by a Telegram channel affiliated with the security forces in July 2024. There, Alexey Pashkevich recounted that on August 9, 2020, he was in the city center, "when people started running en masse toward the police—my godfather and I went out onto the road to take photos, film, and document it all."
The court sentenced Alexei to three years of house arrest. However, in the spring of 2026, he faced a prison sentence (served in a penal colony) for three violations of the house arrest regime.
Trial outcome 17.12.2024
3 years restrictions of freedom without referral to an open-type correctional facility.
On May 15, 2023, ONT released the propaganda film “Killer Package” of Death: Who and How Wanted to Commit a Terrorist Attack on Victory Day,” which told the details of the case. It was reported there that allegedly the KGB, on the eve of Victory Day on May 9, 2023, “prevented a terrorist attack under the supervision of Kiev." They said that the explosives were in electric stoves, which were sent to the detainees via parcels. The organizer of the action was named 23-year-old Belarusian Valery Vodin, who fought in Ukraine.
The video said that parcels with electric stoves containing explosives were delivered to the Minsk SDEK point in Kamennaya Gorka on March 21, 2023 from Kyiv via Italy. 29-year-old Victoria Volchek confirmed during interrogation that she received the package - Valery Vodin asked her to receive the package. BSU student Anna Savochkina and her mother Tatyana Rusak took the tile from Volchek and buried it in the cemetery in Kolodishchi. The second tile was picked up by dental technician Andrei Grigoriev and taken to the gardening partnership "Avtoremontnik 124" near Olekhnovichi.
Trial outcome 09.08.2024
20 years of imprisonment in colony under enhanced security conditions (trial in absentia).
Initially, there were 12 defendants in the case, of which only one has been at large since the fall of 2020: David Slashchev. At the first hearings in the case, he was present and testified, but did not appear at the next one: the guy was put on the wanted list and his preventive measure was changed from a written undertaking not to leave the place to detention.
Vadim Saranchukov is an activist of the BPF party, acting chairman of the party. In August 2024, he was sentenced in absentia to 4 years in prison and a fine of 24,000 rubles.
His account was recognized as extremist by the Central District Court of Minsk on June 4, 2025.
Trial outcome 30.08.2024
4 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions, 600 basic values fine (trial in absentia).
Rechitsa activist, girlfriend of the deceased head of the "Belarusian House in Ukraine" Vitaly Shishov, who was found hanged in Kyiv in 2021. During the 2020 election campaign, she was a member of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's initiative group.
The trial of Marinich and Khomenkova was in absentia, and Yevgeny Pugach has been held in custody since July 2023.
According to the investigation , Marinich and Khomenkova are involved in "a number of crimes of an extremist nature." They allegedly "created and led an extremist group, on whose Internet resources they posted extremist materials aimed at supporting the mass riots that took place in 2020."
The Imaguru executives are also accused of tax evasion. Over the years of their activity, they were charged 220 thousand rubles in damages.
In March 2021, the Imaguru hub in Minsk was stormed by masked security forces. They detained several dozen people. After that, the establishment was closed. Later, Imaguru resumed its activities abroad.
Trial outcome 03.12.2024
12 years of imprisonment in colony under enhanced security conditions, 7000 basic values fine (trial in absentia).
The trial of Marinich and Khomenkova was in absentia, and Yevgeny Pugach has been held in custody since July 2023.
According to the investigation , Marinich and Khomenkova are involved in "a number of crimes of an extremist nature." They allegedly "created and led an extremist group, on whose Internet resources they posted extremist materials aimed at supporting the mass riots that took place in 2020."
The Imaguru executives are also accused of tax evasion. Over the years of their activity, they were charged 220 thousand rubles in damages.
In March 2021, the Imaguru hub in Minsk was stormed by masked security forces. They detained several dozen people. After that, the establishment was closed. Later, Imaguru resumed its activities abroad.
Trial outcome 03.12.2024
10 years of imprisonment in colony under enhanced security conditions, 7000 basic values fine (trial in absentia).
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