Belarus Has Convicted at Least 419 People for Supporting Ukraine, Rights Group Says
Belarusian rights defenders say at least 419 people have been convicted in cases related to supporting Ukraine since February 2022, warning that the actual number may be much higher. The documented convictions include sharing information about Russian military movements, donating to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, alleged espionage, treason and sabotage.
Key points
- At least 419 people have been convicted in Belarus since February 2022 in cases related to supporting Ukraine.
- At least 73 of those convicted are women, and 142 remain in custody.
- Rights defenders say the actual number of prosecutions may be substantially higher.
- 222 people were convicted over sharing photographs and videos of Russian military equipment movements.
- 44 people were convicted of treason tied to support for Ukraine during the war.
- 17 foreign citizens were convicted of espionage or intelligence-related activity.
- The “Hayoun Case” accounts for the largest number of prosecutions connected with the Belarusian Hayoun monitoring project.
Why it matters
The convictions show that assistance to Ukraine has triggered criminal penalties across a range of activities in Belarus, including monitoring and sharing information about Russian forces, donating to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, alleged espionage, treason and sabotage. Rights defenders warn that the documented total may understate the scale of prosecutions, while the continued imprisonment of detainees indicates that broader releases do not end all repression.
What happened
According to the Belarusian rights centre Viasna, at least 419 people have been convicted in Belarus since February 2022 in cases related to supporting Ukraine during the war. At least 73 are women, and 142 remain in custody. The largest group, 222 people, was convicted for assisting extremist activity by distributing photographs and videos showing the movement of Russian military equipment. Other convictions involved treason, espionage or intelligence activity, donations to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and alleged terrorism cases connected with sabotage on railways and a military airfield.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian media have highlighted the scale of the convictions and the variety of activities treated as support for Ukraine, including monitoring military movements, sharing images and recordings, donating to the Armed Forces and alleged espionage or sabotage. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has also warned of a new wave of repression linked to the “Hayoun Case.”
Background
The reported convictions have occurred since February 2022 in the context of the war in Ukraine. The independent Belarusian Hayoun project monitored the movements of Russian and Belarusian military forces. Prosecutions connected with the Hayoun Case reportedly began after February 2025, when authorities obtained the project’s database. As of 22 October, 141 defendants in the case were known, including 41 imprisoned.