Polina Zyl sentenced — the blogger who became patient zero in the Hayun case, as the very link from Matolka was found on her
The girl herself became a victim — first imprisoned for protests, and now further convicted for Hayun.
At the end of March 2026, 33-year-old Polina Zyl was sentenced. She received three years in a penal colony for participating in an "extremist formation."
However, the final term the girl received is not yet known. The fact is that she had previously been given one year in a penal colony for participating in protests, but she essentially served that punishment.
Hayun administrator in Belarus
By fate, it was precisely through Polina's detention that the Hayun case unfolded — leading to the arrests of hundreds of Belarusians.
After Zyl's arrest, security forces gained access to the bot where informants of the monitoring OSINT project "Belaruski Hayun" sent information. The initiative was created in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. The project tracked the military activity of Russian and Belarusian troops, relying on information from Belarusians. Its activities were coordinated by a group of activists led by Anton Matolka.
As can be seen from screenshots of correspondence published by propagandists last year, "European Belarus" activist Polina Zyl was one of the project's administrators. Most likely, she was the only administrator located on the territory of Belarus.
"Well, this is all dangerous. I'm already taking a huge risk by having a person with access to the bot from Belarus. This is a violation of all possible rules," wrote the account identified as Anton Matolka.
"I'll get away, so it's fine," Polina Zyl's account reassured him.
"When?" Matolka immediately asked back.
"Maybe I should go to Lithuania?" Polina mused in response.
What happened in the subsequent correspondence is unknown, but in the end, Zyl remained in Belarus.
It's unclear whether she still remained an administrator of "Belaruski Hayun" — it's entirely possible that she eventually withdrew from the project when she went completely underground, fearing arrest for participating in protests.
Negligence that led to disaster
The fatal technical error was that the link with access rights to the Hayun bot, which she was once sent — apparently back in 2022 — was perpetual. It is unlikely that Zyl knew about it, and unlikely that Matolka remembered it, but nevertheless, it was still possible to access the bot through it in 2025 and retrieve all information.
That's what eventually happened. When security forces detained Polina in February 2025 and gained access to her mobile phone, they were able to connect to the bot and download all information from it. They obtained messages from accounts that wrote to the bot, as well as their IDs and usernames.
When Hayun administrators noticed suspicious activity, it was already too late. The security forces had all the information they needed to launch one of the most extensive repressive operations in the history of Belarus.
Two versions of the detention
Polina Zyl. Photo: Vkontakte
Why did the security forces come for Polina in the first place? There are two versions of how events unfolded. However, both agree that at the time of detention, the security forces did not know about her involvement with Hayun.
The first version was already described in detail by "Nasha Niva."
In the summer of 2024, Igor Shukanau, an employee of the Mozyr Oil Refinery, was arrested — for participating in protests and "defaming" Lukashenka. His son Maksim was Polina's boyfriend.
Igor Shukanau in security forces' video
Maksim is a rather popular blogger, who ran channels under the nickname Union Bell. Together with Polina, they were hiding in rented apartments, as they suspected they might be wanted for participating in protests. However, they did not want to leave their homeland.
According to the first version, Maksim Shukanau and Polina Zyl were arrested in a hospital, where they were forced to seek help due to the guy's health problems, which worsened against the background of anxiety over his father's arrest.
When a person on the wanted list seeks medical assistance with a passport, the police receive a signal. This is how Maksim and Polina fell into the hands of the security forces.
Maksim Shukanau. Screenshot: UnionBell/Youtube
However, Maksim Shukanau told other circumstances to his cellmates. According to him, he and Polina were detained near one of Minsk's shopping centers — they were approached and thrown into some jeep, he said.
Perhaps their faces were identified through a facial recognition system.
Maksim and Polina were initially just shown photos from the 2020 protests — participating in marches incurs a criminal case, but the punishment is not as severe as under other articles. However, after a few days, additional questions arose for the young couple.
Maksim recounted that after his detention, security forces came for him again, took him somewhere, began to beat and interrogate him, asking for certain names. This might refer to the fact that they managed to crack the couple's mobile phones and find that very invitation link to the Hayun bot.
However, in both the first and second scenarios, it turns out that the security forces learned about the young couple's involvement with Hayun by chance — after the detention.
What happened next?
Several criminal cases were initiated against Maksim Shukanau — for participating in protests, for participating in an "extremist formation," and for facilitating "extremist activities." The young man was sentenced to 4 years in a penal colony.
Initially, only a case for participation in protests was opened against Polina Zyl — perhaps to prevent the statute of limitations from expiring, although this would not fundamentally change the situation. For this, the girl was sentenced to 1 year in a penal colony. But then she was kept in the pre-trial detention center under new charges — this time for participation in an "extremist formation." And finally, as stated above, she was sentenced to another 3 years in a penal colony.
As soon as the Hayun hack became known, Anton Matolka announced the closure of the project. This is precisely what the channels of security forces and propagandists demanded from him, "promising" in return a more lenient punishment for the detained Hayun informants. Matolka also completely ceased all public activity and tried his best not to draw attention to himself. This did not save him from devastating criticism for negligence.
The Hayun trials continue to this day. Most of those arrested are sentenced to "home chemistry" (house arrest with correctional labor) and released home — some have even already been pardoned — however, at least dozens of people still remain behind bars.
«Nasha Niva» — the bastion of Belarus
SUPPORT US
Remember the Minsk resident who saved the flag from under the OMON officers' feet in 2017 — at the cost of his freedom? Now he, a former political prisoner, needs help 1414
Remember the Minsk resident who saved the flag from under the OMON officers' feet in 2017 — at the cost of his freedom? Now he, a former political prisoner, needs help 14
"They see Belarus as part of Russia." What the rise of "Alternative for Germany" means, how far it can go, and how Belarusians should position themselves 5858
Comments