In 1999, a 20-year-old woman who exchanged foreign currency was murdered in Minsk. All the suspects were identified 27 years later, after one of the attackers informed on his accomplices while serving time in prison.
The murder took place in January 1999 on Izvestia Newspaper Avenue. The woman’s body was found near a residential building. She had more than 20 stab wounds. The woman had been involved in illegal currency exchange. The murder remained unsolved for many years, until 2026, when a man serving a life sentence for a triple murder made a full confession and named two other accomplices, the Investigative Committee reported.
The two men were soon detained. One lived in Mahiliou, while the other worked as a long-haul truck driver.
At the time of the crime, the attackers were 15, 17 and 22 years old. The oldest had come to Minsk from Mahiliou, while the two younger men had grown up in neighbouring apartment blocks. The youngest, a 15-year-old, was the leader of the group and was known for his aggressive behaviour.
Investigators established that the accused had studied the victim’s habits and daily route. On the evening of January 16, they followed her into the entrance of her apartment building. The 17- and 22-year-old accomplices tried to snatch her bag, but the woman resisted and called for help. Fearing that neighbours would come out after hearing the noise, the youngest attacker pulled out a knife and stabbed her more than 20 times. Despite her fatal injuries, the woman managed to stagger out of the building and collapsed a few metres from the entrance.
After 1999, each of the attackers was convicted of other murders.
Following their detention, two of the men confessed to killing the woman.