Ukrainian convicted in absentia in Belarus for blowing up Russian A-50 aircraft at Machulishchy

A court in Minsk has handed down sentences to 12 Belarusian citizens accused of sabotage at the Machulishchy military airfield in February 2023. Mykola Shvets, a Ukrainian who was previously transferred to Ukraine as part of an exchange, was also sentenced in absentia.

Source: Radio Liberty’s Belarusian service

Details: The Minsk City Court pronounced the verdicts on 12 Belarusian citizens accused of sabotage at the military airfield in Machulishchy in February 2023. They were sentenced to between 2 and 25 years in prison. They were charged with offences under up to 11 criminal articles, including terrorism and treason. Some of the sentences were passed in absentia.

Mykola Shvets, a Ukrainian citizen considered by the investigation to be the main perpetrator of the sabotage, was also sentenced in absentia. Shvets was released from a pre-trial detention centre in June 2024 and handed over to Ukraine as part of an exchange.

The journalists said some of the defendants sentenced were not directly involved in the sabotage and may not have been aware that it was being prepared, such as those who gave Mykola Shvets a lift or helped him rent an apartment.

Background:

• In February 2023, Belarusian activists reported that a Russian A-50 had been damaged in a sabotage attack at the Machulishchy military airfield.

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