Two Minsk Women Tried for Organizing Illegal Migration

Reform.news Editorial Team · 29 September 2026, 16:43

https://reform.news/en/two-minsk-women-tried-for-organizing-illegal-migration/

Two residents of Minsk have been convicted of organizing illegal migration. They prepared fictitious employment contracts and fictitious visa applications for foreign nationals.

One of the defendants served as director of various organizations “established specifically to carry out criminal activities.” From 2024 through April 2026, she facilitated the illegal entry into Belarus of 60 foreign nationals.

According to the Minsk Prosecutor’s Office, the woman recruited a friend into her activities in late 2025. The friend also served as an organization’s director. With the second defendant’s assistance, at least 10 foreign nationals illegally entered Belarus between late 2025 and April 2026.

“The defendants’ criminal activity involved preparing and concluding knowingly fictitious employment contracts with foreign nationals, including through individuals unaware of their criminal activities; preparing knowingly fictitious visa applications for the subsequent illegal entry of foreign nationals into the Republic of Belarus; and handing over the prepared fictitious documents to them for subsequent submission to the citizenship and migration units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus,” the prosecutor’s office said.

The women received about 40,000 rubles in salary payments and directly from foreign nationals.

The friends were tried under Part 2 of Article 371-1 of the Criminal Code (“Organizing illegal migration by an official using their official powers”). They were sentenced to two and two-and-a-half years of restricted freedom with home confinement, respectively, and fined 9,000 and 13,500 rubles.

The verdict has not yet entered into force and may be appealed.