More Than €100,000 Stolen From Minibus On Way From Barysau To Moscow
Reform.news Editorial Team · 21 September 2026, 16:42
https://reform.news/en/more-than-e100-000-stolen-from-minibus-on-way-from-barysau-to-moscow/The Investigative Department of the Minsk Region branch of the Investigative Committee has completed its investigation into a criminal case against three men accused of stealing a large amount of money.
According to the Investigative Committee, at the end of December 2025, the defendants, acting in collusion, stole more than €100,000 and $11,000 from a minibus traveling from Barysau to Moscow. At the official exchange rate on the day of the crime, the amount exceeded 380,000 Belarusian rubles.
Investigators believe the men had distributed roles in advance and agreed to exchange information about the minibus’s route and stops. One of the participants accompanied a female courier and knew that a large sum of money was being transported. He passed information about the route and a suitable opportunity for the theft to his accomplices. The second was to provide a getaway vehicle, while the third was to enter the passenger compartment and steal the package containing the currency.
On the morning of December 28, two of the participants attempted to commit the theft at a gas station in Barysau District, but the attempt failed. They then followed the minibus into Smolensk Region. At a gas station in Krasninsky District, when the courier and her escort entered a café, the perpetrator entered the minibus and stole the package containing the currency. He then fled by car with his accomplice.
Investigators examined surveillance camera footage, vehicle movement data and telephone records, as well as correspondence between the defendants. Witnesses and the victim were questioned and forensic examinations were conducted. This made it possible to reconstruct the sequence of events from the preparation of the crime to the participants’ return to Belarus.
After returning, the men met in a wooded area near the village of Peresady in Barysau District and divided the stolen money. One of the defendants claimed that part of the money was allegedly intended to delete surveillance camera recordings.
Two of the men pleaded guilty and described the circumstances surrounding the preparation and commission of the crime. The third defendant denies involvement and refused to testify. Two had no previous convictions, while a 37-year-old resident of Barysau has an outstanding conviction.
A 22-year-old resident of Barysau and a 49-year-old resident of Asipovichy District have been charged under Part 4 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code, which provides for liability for theft committed by a group of persons on a particularly large scale. The actions of the 37-year-old Barysau resident were classified under the same article with the repeat-offense aggravating factor.
All three are in custody. The investigation has been completed and the case materials have been handed over to the prosecutor for referral to court, the Investigative Committee’s press service reported.