«This must have some hidden agenda». Polish boxing champion suddenly left for Belarus, abandoning even his awards
Yauhen Makarchuk, 32-year-old native of Lida, owner of the title of international boxing champion of Poland, who not long ago expressed his desire to compete under the Polish flag, unexpectedly returned to Belarus. The athlete's former patrons suspect that his unhindered return and continuation of his career may be due to cooperation with Belarusian security forces, writes «Zerkalo» citing reports from the Polish press.
Yauhen Makarchuk. Photo: Justyna Skubis
Makarchuk moved to Poland in autumn 2022 and soon began competing in the ring in that country. He was learning Polish and intended to obtain citizenship.
«In my family, from generation to generation, we have been raised in the spirit of Polishness. To this day, my relatives and I uphold Polish traditions and customs. […] I like it in Poland, I feel at home here. I am Polish. My dream is to win the world champion belt for Poland,» the boxer said in an interview back in autumn 2024.
However, as it turned out, soon after these words, the athlete's behavior changed, and then he completely disappeared. Dzianis Zvonik, head of the foundation that helped Makarchuk with relocation and money, does not hide his emotions:
«We provided Yauhen with funding, housing, food, but, unfortunately, as you can see, he didn't appreciate it. He left, leaving behind financial obligations not only to me, but also to coaches and the manager.»
The disappearance was sudden, the boxer did not inform anyone about his departure.
«By the end of December 2024, there was no contact with Yauhen anymore. … When he disappeared without a word, I was shocked and disgusted. After all, we dedicated a lot of effort to him. It was a huge amount of work, but, unfortunately, he made such a decision.»
Manager Viktar Materan added a detail that surprised the team most of all: he left all his belongings, even what is most valuable to any athlete.
«It was very strange for us, because whoever moves usually takes their property with them, right? He even left his belts that he won in the ring!» Materan expressed his indignation.
According to promoter Mariusz Grabowski, Makarchuk initially, when he arrived in Poland, said he could not return to his home country.
«If he really returned to Belarus, this must have some hidden agenda,» the promoter noted.
At the same time, shortly after his «disappearance,» it was confirmed that Makarchuk was in Belarus, at liberty, and even traveling. Videos of his training sessions from Minsk appeared on his social networks, footage from Dubai, as he traveled to the UAE, and at the end of 2025, he even had a fight in Germany. Such freedom of movement raised suspicions in Artur Kondrat, head of an organization that supports Poles in countries east of Poland.
«Just three months outside the country are enough to face hours of interrogation when attempting to enter Belarus. Everything is checked: phones, contacts, photos, social media. Lida is a small town, and Makarchuk's successes were written about, for example, by the Union of Poles in Belarus. He is very well-known there. There is no way that Belarusian services would not interrogate him.»
In his opinion, without a deal with the security forces, the boxer's further career would have been impossible:
«If he had not cooperated to some extent, he most likely would not have gone to Dubai, and later to Germany. … The fact that Makarchuk represented Poland could not simply be forgiven. Since he is moving around the world, there is a high probability that he could have agreed to cooperate, because otherwise he could have serious problems with the law,» believes Artur Kondrat.
The Polish Boxing Union did not respond to inquiries from Polish journalists and the association's appeal, nor did the athlete himself.
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