{"id":187238,"date":"2026-05-12T18:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/187238\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T18:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:04:21","slug":"three-women-tried-in-their-absence-sentenced-to-prison-over-2023-maculiscy-airfield-attack","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/187238\/","title":{"rendered":"Three women tried in their absence, sentenced to prison over 2023 Ma\u010duli\u0161\u010dy airfield attack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\n (The A-50 damaged at Ma\u010duli\u0161\u010dy)\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Drone footage\/ still by Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

May 12, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>The Minsk City Court imposed prison sentences on three women on May 8, after putting them on trial in their absence in connection with a 2023 drone attack that damaged Russia\u2019s A-50 early warning and control aircraft at an airfield outside Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ja\u016dhienija Ta\u010dyckaja and Kaciaryna Vostrava were found guilty of facilitating extremism, and Antanina Najdovi\u010d was convicted of facilitating extremism and insulting an official, reported the Viasna Human Rights Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ta\u010dyckaja was sentenced to five years in prison. In October 2024, she was given 15 years in prison on five charges, including high treason and financing a terrorist organization. Combined, her sentences amount to 17 years in prison. In addition, she was ordered to pay a fine of 67,000 rubels (around $24,000). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vostrava was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 27,000 rubels, and Najdovi\u010d to six years in prison and a fine of 29,250 rubels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, Andrej Ba\u0142mako\u016d was convicted in the same case of facilitating extremism. His sentence is unknown. The man is believed to be a lawyer who defended Belarusians in political cases following the 2020 protests, said the Viasna Human Rights Center. He was arrested in March 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explosions at the Ma\u010duli\u0161\u010dy air base were reported on February 26, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 7, 2023, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka blamed the attack on Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 Committee for State Security (KGB) said that more than 20 people were arrested over the incident, including an alleged Ukrainian agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July 2023, Alaksandar Azara\u016d, leader of the ByPol resistance group, said that the attack had been organized by ByPol and the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SSU head Vasyl Maliuk publicly admitted to the service\u2019s involvement in March 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2024, the Minsk City Court has sentenced 12 people to prison terms of two to 25 years over the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven of 12 defendants were convicted without being present at the trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defendants were Mykola Shve\u0107, Maksim \u0141apacin, Andrej \u015aciapurka, Aleh Sy\u010do\u016d, Dzianis Saka\u0142o\u016d, Alaksandar Azara\u016d, Ja\u016dhienija Ta\u010dyckaja, Michai\u0142 Dziomin, Siarhiej \u0141opara\u016d, Anastasija Pilko, Vital Jakucik, and A\u0142a Jacuta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shve\u0107, a citizen of Ukraine, was sentenced to 25 years after he had been handed over to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange in August 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azara\u016d, Ta\u010dyckaja, \u0141opara\u016d, Jakucik, Jacuta and Dziomin are based abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The charges included damaging an air transport vehicle unusable, terrorism, high treason, spying, the illegal handling of explosives, terrorism financing and extremism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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