Interior ministry says some 200 Belarusians are fighting in Ukraine against Russia

June 13, BPN. About 200 Belarusians are fighting in Ukraine against Russia, Hienadź Kazakievič, deputy interior minister and the head of the Belarusian criminal police, told the interior ministry’s official newspaper Na Strazhe.

He described most of them as soccer ultras and participants of the 2020 post-election protests who fled the country from criminal prosecution. 

Kazakievič added that over the past year police arrested several dozen young men under 30 for planning to fight in Ukraine.

In late May, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against some Belarusian volunteer fighters of the Kastus’ Kalinoŭski regiment on charges of participation in an armed conflict in a foreign country. The penalty carries up to five years in prison. Belarusian police said at the time that they had identified 50 members.

Originally formed as a battalion in early March 2022, the Kalinoŭski regiment now consists of two battalions, Lićvin and Vołat. It joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces on March 26.