"Belarus First." What is known about the 23-year-old special forces officer sentenced to 19 years for "treason"
Yauhen Zharykau served as an officer in Maryina Horka, but recently he was sentenced for "treason" and thrown behind bars for a giant term. In social networks, the young officer wrote in Belarusian and condemned Russian imperialism.
Yauhen Zharykau is 23 years old. He was born and raised in Babruysk, where he graduated from high school №6 in 2020. After graduating from a military educational institution, the young man received an officer's rank and was assigned to Maryina Horka — to the 5th separate special forces brigade.
In social networks, Yauhen wrote in Belarusian. For a modern special forces officer, this is a rare phenomenon.
The young man noted that he writes in Belarusian "by intuition" and rejoiced at the opportunity to speak it live: "By the way, today for the first time in a long time I spoke Belarusian... I was amazed that I remembered almost everything." At the same time, he ironized about linguistic purism: "If it's already clear that literary language is never used in conversation... why argue about how one writes and speaks."
In his posts, the officer openly formulated his life position: "I love Belarus" and "Belarus First."
He sharply criticized Russian imperialism, condemned Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, and understood the threat of Russification:
"Belarusian culture will develop only with state support. In the conditions of globalization and the pressure of Russians, for whom it's not enough that we are allies, the language itself won't survive."
At the same time, he condemned repression, mentioning "a knock on the door, detention, a bottle" and the purging of channels by GUBaziK employees.
Outside of duty, the young officer was fond of strength sports and running (he covered 3 km in 12 minutes and 20 seconds), listened to post-punk and the band Brutto, was interested in history, anime, and computer games. The young man also studied foreign languages.
It is unknown what exactly caused Yauhen's persecution, as the case was heard in a closed session. KGB officers detained him back in February 2025.
The trial took place in May 2026 in the Minsk Regional Court under Part 2 of Art. 356 of the Criminal Code ("treason committed by an official or military personnel"). The young man was sentenced to 19 years in a penal colony and a fine of 500 base units (22,500 rubles). In September, he was transferred to a penal colony, but the current whereabouts of the political prisoner are unknown.
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