Belarusian Who Served Time in Tambov is Stuck Between Heaven and Earth — Russia Wants to Deport Him, But Belarus Asks: Who is This?
Yury Melnikau fully served his sentence, but he was not released; instead, he was placed in a center for the detention of foreign nationals.
In early 2026, in Tambov, Russia, they couldn't figure out what to do with Belarusian Yury Melnikau. The nuance is that he considers himself a citizen of Belarus, but Belarus does not recognize him.
Melnikau served time in Tambov for a particularly serious crime. The exact term is unknown, but it was definitely more than five years.
On November 10, 2025, he was released from correctional colony No. 5 in the Tambov region, but he was not set free. Melnikau was awaiting deportation to his homeland because he had been banned from staying in Russia for ten years.
However, it was not possible to deport Melnikau. In response to a police inquiry, the Consulate General of Belarus stated that this Melnikau was not listed among the registered citizens of Belarus. Therefore, it was impossible to issue him a certificate of return.
As a result, Melnikau got stuck in a detention center for foreign nationals for several months — until Russia and Belarus can accurately identify him and determine whose citizen he is.
The outcome of the case is currently unknown.
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