Published photos of former Coordination Council speaker Anzhalika Melnikava, allegedly training in one of Minsk’s gyms, have predictably caused a stir. However, neither the images nor the words of the missing woman’s father constitute proof that the missing politician is indeed alive and in Belarus. Using such methods, the Belarusian regime may be trying to convince not only the public, but also the intelligence services of a neighboring country.
On March 19, Ukrainian blogger Aleksandr Rykov (BalaganOFF) published screenshots of stories showing Melnikava working out in a GYM24 facility in Minsk. Colleagues analyzed the images and concluded there are no clear grounds to claim the photos are fake. Even if they were, the forgery would be of very high quality, with attention to detail. It is also clear these are not archival photos of Melnikava — the images were taken at the Vostok gym in Minsk, which opened in January 2025, shortly before the former Coordination Council speaker disappeared.
The day after the screenshots were published, journalists from Nasha Niva managed to contact Melnikava’s father. In the conversation, he said that Anzhalika was “alive and well” and had been in Belarus for “quite some time.”
Following this publication, some commentators quickly concluded that if Melnikava is in Belarus, free and unharmed, then she must be an agent of Belarusian intelligence services embedded in the opposition in exile. There were even suggestions that the published photos were just the opening move, preceding her appearance in a propaganda program. According to this theory, the entire operation is timed to the upcoming Freedom Day and to the planned visit of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to Kyiv, with the aim of discrediting Belarusian democratic forces.
Such a hypothesis has a right to exist. However, neither the appearance of the screenshots nor even the father’s comments to journalists prove that Melnikava is indeed alive and in Belarus. The regime may well be trying to convince the public that everything is fine with the missing politician — especially if in reality it is not.
There is an important nuance in the case of the disappearance of the former Coordination Council speaker. In April 2025, the National Prosecutor’s Office of Poland launched an investigation into the circumstances of Melnikava’s disappearance; she also held Polish citizenship. The case was registered at the Lublin branch of the National Prosecutor’s Office and transferred to Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW). In the case, Melnikava is listed as a victim.
As prosecutor Katarzyna Calów-Jaszewska reported, “an investigation has been initiated, including under Article 189 §1 of the Criminal Code (unlawful deprivation of liberty). The purpose of the investigation is to determine the circumstances of the disappearance and possible deprivation of liberty of Anzhalika M. in March 2025.”
A year later, the investigation is ongoing. This was reported just over a week ago by Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet Pavel Latushka, who received an official response from the Department for Combating Organized Crime of Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office.
According to Latushka, the prosecutor’s office and Poland’s Internal Security Agency are taking measures to establish Melnikava’s whereabouts. The official version of the investigation is that she was forced to leave Poland, which corresponds to the Criminal Code provision on unlawful deprivation of liberty. In other words, the security services are actively investigating — and may eventually uncover the truth.
What if the Belarusian regime is interested in having the Melnikava case in Poland closed? Or in ensuring that Polish intelligence services do not search too vigorously for the missing woman? The best way to achieve this would be to inject information suggesting that the former Coordination Council speaker is alive, well, in Belarus, and not under threat. Her own father confirms that everything is fine. Let Polish intelligence services hesitate — is there any point in continuing the search? Or at least scale back their efforts in what might appear to be a futile investigation. And eventually, perhaps, the case will be quietly shelved.
This is how the gym photos enter the scene — images that, however convincing, could still be a high-quality fake. As for the call to the father, it is easy to predict that after the publication of the photos, journalists would try to contact Melnikava’s relatives to verify their authenticity. The father could simply have been forced to say that “she has not disappeared” and even that she “sometimes calls.” This introduces an important “witness” into the case — the father himself, who claims his daughter is fine. Meanwhile, the hidden number from which Melnikava allegedly calls raises further suspicion that she may in fact be connected to the security services.
Finally, regarding the timing of the leak of the photos to blogger Rykov. According to him, this happened two days before March 19 — at a time when Minsk was preparing for an important event: the visit of U.S. presidential envoy John Coale and upcoming talks with Aliaksandr Lukashenka. It is possible that the Americans, either independently or at Poland’s request, were trying to clarify Melnikava’s fate and were asking questions. And then — as if on cue — “fresh” images of her appear from a gym in the capital.
All of the above is also nothing more than a version — one of many that have already emerged. The final conclusion in the Melnikava case can be established by only one thing: her public appearance, alive and unharmed, in a clear state of mind, answering questions coherently. Only this would constitute convincing proof that the former Coordination Council speaker is indeed alive and well. Any other “evidence” proves absolutely nothing.
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The opinions and assessments of the author may not coincide with the position of the Reform.news editorial board.
