The Interior Ministry has added another 21 people to the “List of Citizens of the Republic of Belarus, Foreign Citizens or Stateless Persons Involved in Extremist Activities.”
Among those added to the list were a married couple from the Drahichyn District, Dzmitry Kapuza and Volha Kapuza, who were sentenced to 24 and 21 years in prison respectively on charges of an “act of terrorism” and “illegal handling of ammunition.”
Thirty-six-year-old Dzmitry and Volha were detained on January 16, 2024. After their detention, state television aired a program titled “Cleanup. Fight Against Saboteurs and Agents of Ukrainian Special Services in Belarus,” in which propagandists claimed that the couple had allegedly worked for Ukrainian intelligence services. A total of 12 people were detained at that time. They were accused of allegedly collecting explosives and creating hidden caches across Belarus. During the arrest, Dzmitry was shot and wounded in the thigh.
The trial was held behind closed doors. In addition to prison terms, Dzmitry and Volha received large fines. In the summer of 2025, they were added to the “terrorist list.”
The list now contains 6,526 names.
The Belarusian authorities regularly use accusations of extremism to target political opponents and dissent in general.
