Belarusian Volunteer Gerard Shares His Version of the Case Initiated Against Him in Ukraine

Aliaksandr Krasoŭski is a Belarusian volunteer who joined Belarusian formations after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. He served in the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, later transferring to the 225th Separate Assault Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, where he commanded the "Tur" unit. In 2024, fighters of this unit participated in battles during the Ukrainian operation in the Kursk region. Krasoŭski is a full cavalier of the Order "For Courage".

On March 14, 2026, Gerard was detained in Irpin on suspicion of unauthorized abandonment of a military unit and illegal handling of weapons and ammunition. He himself pleaded not guilty.

On July 31, he was released on bail. Recently, he gave a long interview to blogger Siarhiej Biaspalau, where he spoke about his detention.

Who Owned the Ammunition?

Krasoŭski describes that on March 14, a special unit of the Rapid Operational Response Corps (KORD) of the National Police of Ukraine, along with investigators, arrived from Kharkiv to detain him. During the search, 680,000 euros and ammunition were found.

Krasoŭski insists that the ammunition found in the basement was not his. As he claims, it had been there since 2024 and belonged to another Belarusian volunteer who lived in his house for some time.

Krasoŭski claims that the man lived with him for about three months and left not only ammunition in the basement, but also his belongings, clothes, a passport copy, a military ID copy, and invoices.

Gerard does not name this person. But, according to him, among the items found was an object by which it is possible to accurately determine which military unit the person served in and to whom such an item could have been issued.

Was There Unauthorized Abandonment of a Military Unit?

The second part of the case is related to suspicion of unauthorized abandonment of a military unit. Krasoŭski claims that there was no unauthorized departure.

Three days before the dismissal order was issued, Gerard was put on the list of servicemen who had unauthorizedly abandoned their unit.

Krasoŭski says he was not discharged through his military unit, as they refused to accept his report. Therefore, he submitted his report directly to the Land Forces Command.

By that time, Gerard claims, he had already handed over his position, property, weapons, helmet, and bulletproof vest, and a temporary acting platoon commander had been officially appointed in his place.

After this, according to Krasoŭski, he officially went on annual leave, arrived in Kyiv, registered there, and due to health problems, received treatment at the Central Military Hospital. Gerard says he has documents to confirm this.

Павялічыць

Gerard's separate argument is the regulation on military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine by foreigners and stateless persons, approved by a decree of the President of Ukraine. Krasoŭski refers to point 111 of this document, which regulates the recall of servicemen from annual leave. Gerard claims that the command had no right to interrupt his leave.

Krasoŭski believes that the story of unauthorized abandonment of the unit was fabricated to force him to return to the 225th regiment, "and possibly to extort money".

Why Was He Held in SIZO?

Gerard insists that his detention in the SIZO (pre-trial detention center) was illegal. As he explains, Ukrainian legislation provided for detention as a measure of restraint for servicemen suspected of unauthorized abandonment of a military unit. Krasoŭski, however, claims that at the time of his detention, he had been discharged from service for four to five months and had civilian status.

Krasoŭski specifically dwells on the judge who heard his case. According to Gerard, she not only illegally held him in the SIZO but also exceeded her official powers and violated Ukrainian legislation. Now, according to him, these circumstances are being investigated. A relevant statement has already been filed with the High Council of Justice of Ukraine.

After the judge was changed, the situation changed. As Gerard recounts, the new judge reviewed the case materials and decided that he should be released. As a result, Krasoŭski was released from the SIZO on bail.

He himself believes that they did not want his release, as being free gave him more opportunities to act: to file statements and appeal to various authorities. The prosecutor appealed the decision to release him on bail and tried to have it overturned.

The prosecutor's appeal, according to Krasoŭski, was ultimately denied, and he remained at liberty.

Gerard was not completely cut off from the outside world in the SIZO. According to him, there was paid IP telephony, and he could make a 15-minute call once a day. There was no internet or mobile phone, but there was a TV on which the prisoners watched the news.

Where Did the Money Come From?

Biaspalau specifically asked about the large sum of cash found during the search. Initial media reports indicated an amount of about one million euros.

Gerard clarifies: "Not a million, but 680 thousand." According to him, the money was provided by his acquaintances, partners, and Belarusians from Europe for the development of military units. He calls them "direct donations".

During the conversation, Biaspalau mentioned posts by Dzyanis "Vaŭkalak" Urbanovich, which suggested that Gerard allegedly sold machine guns to servicemen.

Krasoŭski says he doesn't know what machine guns are being referred to. However, he mentions one incident related to weapons. According to Gerard, a fighter with the call sign Yasień once approached him about a 120-millimeter mortar.

"I said I don't have one. There are groups of servicemen where people exchange trophies. So I sent him a link that someone has a 120-millimeter mortar and is exchanging it for this and that. Which machine gun Vaŭkalak is talking about — honestly, I don't know," Krasoŭski recounts.

Biaspalau also mentioned other accusations from Vaŭkalak — including Krasoŭski's alleged use of prohibited substances. Gerard responds that he read these posts but does not take them seriously.

"Whatever he wants to write, let him write. The man has his own fantasies. I perfectly remember all his amusing stories about Brest, and how he fought with Brest. That's why I always said that this person might be a good warrior and so on, but somewhere in his head, reality gets mixed with fantasy. And, unfortunately, people who, let's say, really know Vaŭkalak understand what I'm talking about.

This person, perhaps due to a large number of concussions, injuries — simply needs to undergo more intensive rehabilitation to improve his health," says Gerard.

About the Role of the Former Commander

Biaspalau suggested that Krasoŭski's problems began after a conflict with the leadership. Gerard disagreed with this phrasing.

He claims there was no personal conflict. It's just that at a certain point, due to some actions of the leadership, he decided to leave the 225th regiment. But, according to Krasoŭski, they did not want to let him go.

At that time, Oleh Shyraiev was the commander of military unit 7420. Biaspalau asked Krasoŭski about their relationship and whether Shyraiev could have been involved in the case for which Gerard was later detained.

As Gerard states, he does not know where Shyraiev is now and does not follow him.

"What kind of person… I'll put it this way, before receiving the Hero of Ukraine award, he was one person; after receiving the Hero of Ukraine award, he became a different person. Before receiving the Hero of Ukraine award, he was a person with whom one could talk, work, and serve," says Gerard.

To the direct question of whether Shyraiev is connected to the criminal case against him, Krasoŭski answers affirmatively. According to him, he is currently trying to get his former commander's orders declared illegal in administrative courts.

Gerard calls the criminal case itself fabricated "from beginning to end". As one of his arguments, he cites the materials of the official investigation. According to Krasoŭski, it was registered on 46 sheets, but only 21 were found in his case materials.

At the same time, Gerard stipulates that he does not know if investigative actions are currently ongoing, and therefore does not want to disclose all details. At the time of the conversation, he claims, he had still not been served with an indictment. Krasoŭski remains in the status of a suspect.

What Now?

After his release, Krasoŭski did not regain full freedom of movement. According to him, he cannot currently leave the Kyiv region or depart from Ukraine. The latter, he says, was not part of his plans anyway.

He expects that after September 14, he will be able to move freely within Ukraine again.

To Biaspalau's question of whether there is currently a real threat of re-arrest, he answers briefly: "No, there isn't."

Another detail Krasoŭski revealed in the interview is Ukrainian citizenship. According to Gerard, the decision has already been signed, and he can obtain a Ukrainian passport, but he is not yet in a hurry to do so.

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