February 24, Pozirk. Belarusian authorities have convicted at least 403 people for supporting Ukraine since February 2022, with more than 200 of them still behind bars, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
The actual number may be considerably higher due to undocumented cases and ongoing arrests.
Most of those targeted — 213 people — were convicted of “facilitating extremism” for sending photos and videos of Russian military equipment to pro-Ukrainian initiatives.
The total also includes individuals convicted of high treason (41), espionage (16 foreign nationals) and terrorism (34) in connection with attempts to disrupt rail traffic, an attack on the Mačuliščy airfield, and other acts of sabotage.
At least 183 people were convicted for sending photos and videos of military equipment to the monitoring group Biełaruski Hajun; 40 were prosecuted for donations to the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment and the Ukrainian Armed Forces; 48 were convicted over alleged ties to Ukrainian intelligence services; and 47 for allegedly intending to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Four years ago, Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, with the Belarusian authorities backing the Kremlin. Minsk allowed Russian troops to attack Ukraine from Belarusian territory on multiple occasions, provided infrastructure support and supplied arms to Moscow.
