Elena Dmitrievna Pyrkh
Pyrkh Elena Dmitrievna participated in the persecution of political prisoners. All provocations by the administration of the correctional facility took place under her control. She was present at all searches in the cells of political prisoners, while displaying aggression, threatening and insulting female prisoners. Forbidden objects, usually pills or needles, were planted in the cells of women who, in the opinion of the administration, needed to be punished, which Pyrkh then "found". After that, she took the prisoner to the regime department and wrote a report. Another form of psychological pressure was "fire safety drills", when Pyrkh suddenly came to the detachment and demanded that all prisoners "take out" their things in an organized manner within 10 minutes. If the prisoners did not manage to complete this task within the specified time, everything started over again. Pyrkh shouted, insulted and humiliated the prisoners. If she didn't like something, she could make the entire unit stand in the sun, rain or cold for several hours, during which time people had to read the internal regulations. She often wrote reports on political prisoners, demanded that the regime for them be strengthened at commissions, including at commissions on penalties, insisted on placing them in a punishment cell instead of a reprimand, deprivation of a visit, a parcel, and so on. These actions directly indicate assistance to the repressive policy of the Lukashenko regime in relation to those who do not support the government and violate the rights of prisoners to humane treatment.
Pyrkh Elena Dmitrievna participated in the persecution of political prisoners. All provocations by the administration of the correctional facility took place under her control. She was present at all searches in the cells of political prisoners, while displaying aggression, threatening and insulting female prisoners. Forbidden objects, usually pills or needles, were planted in the cells of women who, in the opinion of the administration, needed to be punished, which Pyrkh then "found". After that, she took the prisoner to the regime department and wrote a report. Another form of psychological pressure was "fire safety drills", when Pyrkh suddenly came to the detachment and demanded that all prisoners "take out" their things in an organized manner within 10 minutes. If the prisoners did not manage to complete this task within the specified time, everything started over again. Pyrkh shouted, insulted and humiliated the prisoners. If she didn't like something, she could make the entire unit stand in the sun, rain or cold for several hours, during which time people had to read the internal regulations. She often wrote reports on political prisoners, demanded that the regime for them be strengthened at commissions, including at commissions on penalties, insisted on placing them in a punishment cell instead of a reprimand, deprivation of a visit, a parcel, and so on. These actions directly indicate assistance to the repressive policy of the Lukashenko regime in relation to those who do not support the government and violate the rights of prisoners to humane treatment.
List of repressed
- Associations
According to propaganda legend, she “knocked on closed doors after the voting ended, and then forwarded the video to an extremist resource.”
Elena in a video on a pro-government channel says that she sent the video to a friend who lives abroad, and the further fate of the file is unknown.
Elena is originally from Mogilev, but studied in Minsk at the Faculty of Architecture of BNTU. She worked as an architect for some time, and then became an artist. She makes various jewelry and ceramic dishes, and also does calligraphy and painting.
Diana is a 34-year-old Brest resident. Works at EPAM and leads the testing team there. After the start of the war, she and her son, who is now 7 years old, went to Tbilisi. But at some point I decided to return to Belarus, although I traveled abroad from time to time.
On her Instagram there is a photo from Warsaw, which dates back to June 29, 2023, three days later a photo from Mir Castle was published. And then the girl disappeared from everywhere.
On May 3, 2024, the appeal was considered and the verdict came into force.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
Victoria has three children, two of whom are minors (the youngest is 3 years old). Before the trial, she was on bail for her house.
After the verdict, she was taken into custody in the courtroom.
On 26.04.2024, the appeal was considered and the verdict came into force.
According to human rights activists, she will be released in the winter of 2024.
- Associations
- Activists
- Foreign citizens
- Retirees
Galina Krasnyanskaya is 67 years old. She comes from Babruisk, probably from a military family - social networks indicate that she was born in the "military town of Kiselevichi". Once there was a large military garrison there and the school was created specifically for the children of the military. After school, she went to Minsk to study to be a chemist at the Belarusian Technological Institute (now BSTU). But after that, Galina worked in military units, if you believe her social networks. For example, from 1981 to 1986 in unit No. 48819, based in the pro-Soviet part of Germany - the GDR.
She probably moved to Sweden later. She must also have Swedish citizenship.
It is unknown when the woman returned to Belarus, but not earlier than spring 2023. The date of detention is also unknown. The article under which Galina is accused most often means a donation to Belarusian volunteers or to help Ukraine.
On June 21, 2025, Galina was released after a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, Keith Kellogg, and was immediately taken to Lithuania.
Has a higher legal education (BSU). Worked in the consulting company Parada+partners.
According to human rights activists, she was released on January 9, 2025, having fully served her sentence as determined by the court.
Detained for financing extremist activities, namely helping political prisoners and their families.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
Catherine's trial will begin on May 15, 2024. She is being tried under three articles of the Criminal Code. The minimum punishment is 4 years in prison.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
Tamara has 4 minor children.
Tamara, under Article 342, Part 1, was sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 1 year, to this punishment the court partially added the unserved part of the sentence imposed by the verdict of the Leninsky District Court of Minsk dated June 30, 2022 under Part 2 of Art. 206 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus , and the final punishment was imposed in the form of imprisonment for a period of 2 years 6 months, to be served in a correctional colony under general regime conditions.
2.5 years of imprisonment in a colony under general regime conditions.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
On March 6, 2024, the appeal was considered and the verdict came into force.
Katerina has a little daughter waiting at home.
The essence of the case and the verdict were commented on by the assistant prosecutor of Brest on state television. From the video and the prosecutor’s commentary, it follows that Sankovskaya was charged with the following: in 2020 and 2021, in one telegram chat she published an image of the state flag of Belarus, and in the background there was a Nazi swastika (this was a “desecration of state symbols”), and also again in Telegram messenger published an “insulting” message about Yuri Karaev (remember that from June 2019 to the end of October 2020 Karaev was the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, after which he took the post of Assistant to the President for the Grodno region), and also in the Telegram messenger published several messages about A. Lukashenko, which were also considered “offensive.”
1.5 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony.
- Associations
- Foreign citizens
The girl is a citizen of Ukraine, originally from the city of Kherson. She studied in China, graduated from the university there in 2015, and in 2016 moved to Belarus. In Belarus she worked as a translator from Chinese.
Ekaterina was detained while crossing the Belarusian border. They demanded that she give her phone for verification; she provided it to the employees along with the passwords. Belarusian security forces found that on March 30, 2022, she sent 2 videos to the chatbot of the Zerkalo editorial office. The video showed the movement of Russian military equipment near Minsk, which she herself captured.
On December 12, 2023, the appeal was considered. The verdict came into force.
On the evening of June 28, 2024, sudden information appeared about the release of five political prisoners from Belarusian colonies. The Ukrainian authorities achieved the release of their exchange citizens as prisoners. This is how Natalya Zakharenko, Pavel Kuprienko, Lyudmila Goncharenko, Ekaterina Bryukhanova, as well as Nikolai Shvets, a defendant in the “Machulishchi case,” were released. The terms of the exchange were not disclosed. It is noted that the Vatican took part in the liberation. The released political prisoners were brought to Ukraine on June 28 - their photo from the Zhulyany airport appeared in the media.
