The Minsk City Court sentenced 12 people to prison over sabotage of the Machulishchy military airfield in Belarus last year, the Viasna human rights group said on Oct. 4. Some of the sentences were handed down in absentia.
The airfield near Minsk has been used by the Russian military during Moscow's war against Ukraine. Belarusian partisans allegedly carried out the sabotage on Feb. 26, 2023, damaging a Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft.
The suspects were charged with up to 11 criminal articles, including terrorism and treason, and sentenced to two to 25 years in prison. This included those who were not accused of direct involvement in the sabotage and may not have known about its preparation, RFE/RL's Belarusian service reported.
The behind-the-closed-doors trial began on Aug. 19.
As part of the case, the court sentenced Ukrainian citizen Mykola Shvets, named by the Belarusian authorities as the "main perpetrator" in the sabotage, to 25 years in prison in absentia. Viasna said six other sentences were also issued in absentia.
Shvets was detained in March 2023 but was released in June of that year alongside four other Ukrainian citizens detained in Belarus, as well as others held by Russia.
The A-50 aircraft provides several critical functions for the ongoing war in Ukraine, such as detecting air defense systems, guided missiles, and coordinating targets for Russian fighter jets.
The Russian Air Force lost two of these planes in early 2024, one in January and another on Feb. 23, to Ukrainian attacks. One such aircraft costs around $330 million.
Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Feb. 25 that Russia has only six planes of this model left in service. The aircraft damaged in Belarus is reportedly undergoing repairs at a facility in Taganrog, Russia.
Maria Yeryoma
