Ukrainian citizen sentenced to ten years in Belarus for alleged espionage

That’s according to Nastoyaschee Vremya (Current Time), Ukrinform reports.

In addition to charges of “agent activities,” Borodiy was accused of “illegal transportation of firearms and ammunition,” “illegal manufacture or sale of weapons,” “unlawful border crossing,” and “organizing illegal migration.”

The Belarusian state news agency described Borodiy as “an SBU agent with the call sign ‘Mangust,'” alleging that he collaborated with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Authorities claim he received specialized training and was tasked with smuggling weapons and explosives into Belarus to orchestrate terrorist attacks there and in Russia.

In September 2023, the Belarusian state-run TV channel Belarus-1 aired footage of a man identified as Borodiy, presenting him as a captured Ukrainian agent. The report claimed he lived near the Belarus-Ukraine border, later moved to Belarus, married, and then returned to Ukraine.

Ukrinform previously reported that over 50,000 people have been detained in Belarus for political reasons since mass protests erupted during the 2020 presidential election, up until August 2024.