BySol reports soaring evacuation requests after opposition chat data breach

February 9, Pozirk. The BySol Solidarity Fund has received 150 requests from people seeking to flee Belarus in the four days since the data breach that affected the Biełaruski Hajun Telegram chatbot, BySol’s Andrej Stryžak said on Facebook.
The chat linked to an opposition defense monitoring group shut down two days ago after its founder Anton Matolka confirmed that an unauthorized account had access and could have exported data.
People who shared information with the group may face politically-motivated persecution in Belarus. Belarusian border guards stepped up controls at the border in an apparent attempt to identify them, Stryžak warned earlier.
Pro-government sources reported the arrest of Maksim Nikicienka, an employee at the Homiel region’s Mazyr oil refinery, for allegedly sharing information with Biełaruski Hajun.
Established in early 2022, Biełaruski Hajun documented the military activity of Russian troops in Belarus and helped the Ukrainians assess threats after Russia launched a full-scale war on their country in February 2022.

Biełaruski Hajun shuts down after security breach
- Elections, SocietyOfficials conceal loss of 125 heads of cattle, face restricted freedom sentencesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsLawyer Harbatok disbarred after defending political prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, SocietyEurolines deploys double-deckers for Vilnius-Minsk linksThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, PoliticsSwitzerland joins latest EU sanctions on BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityPoland flatly rejected Minsk’s overtures citing lack of trust-reportThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Politics, SecurityUkrainian intelligence chief plays down Zapad-2025The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security
- Economy, Security
- Economy
- SocietyState-run history institute pushes for ban on use of metal detectors by treasure huntersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security, SocietyThree Belarusians to go on trial in Poland on arson, sabotage chargesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- EconomyBiełstat: foreign investment up 2.4 percent in H1The material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyGovernment’s cap on bank profits may affect recapitalization programs – expertThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsReprisals: 100,000 cases since August 2020, eight dissidents die behind barsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyOver 28 percent report falling income – pollThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBEROC predicts Belarusian economy to cool in medium termThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyPotato prices drop nearly 5 percent after months of sharp increasesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security, SocietyŁukašenka signs edict on fall draftThe material is available only to POZIRK+