Special Forces Officer Sentenced to 19 Years in Prison Colony on State Treason Charges

Reform.news Editorial Team · 19 October 2026, 17:44

https://reform.news/en/special-forces-officer-sentenced-to-19-years-in-prison-colony-on-state-treason-charges/

Special forces officer Yauhen Zharykau has been sentenced to 19 years in a high-security penal colony and fined 22,500 rubles on charges of state treason under Part 2 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code. The sentence was handed down in May, but the case only became public now, the Viasna Human Rights Centre reports.

Yauhen Zharykau, from Babruisk, is 23. He graduated from a military educational institution and served in Maryina Horka, where the 5th Separate Special Purpose Brigade is based.

KGB officers detained Zharykau in February 2025. His trial was held behind closed doors in May 2026, and in September he was transferred to a penal colony to serve his sentence. Details of the case are unknown.