Алексей Гавриленок
According to Tribuna.com, 38-year-old hockey referee Aliaksei Haurylenak is suspected of murdering a 43-year-old pregnant woman in Minsk. The Interior Ministry previously reported the detention of a 38-year-old Minsk resident but did not name him.
According to the ministry, the man was in an intimate relationship with the deceased and knew about her pregnancy.
“At the same time, the man was officially in another relationship, which led to regular conflicts between him and the victim,” the Interior Ministry said.
According to the investigation, during another argument, he stabbed the woman several times, then put her body in a sports bag, drove it out of the city and buried it in a forest in the Minsk district, disposing of the victim’s clothes and phone.
Tribuna notes that Haurylenak’s profile soon disappeared from the website of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation, where he had previously been listed among the top referees under number 9.
He was previously a professional hockey player, representing Minsk-based Dinamo and Keramin, as well as Brest. He played 302 games in the Belarusian championship and scored 46 points. In the 2006/07 season, he won the Belarus Cup with Dinamo, although he played only one game in that tournament. Haurylenak also represented Belarus at youth level. As a member of the U-20 team, he took part in the 2007 World Championship. After ending his playing career in 2015, he became a hockey referee, mainly officiating games in the Belarusian championship.
Haurylenak did not officiate any Extra League games in the 2026/27 season. The championship began on September 9, the day after the murder. His last known senior-level game was the Belarus Cup match between Aviator and Shakhtyor on August 10.
In 2020, Haurylenak played for the Minsk Region team in a match against the team of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. As expected, the latter’s team won the game 8-4.
Haurylenak also refereed hockey matches involving Lukashenka’s team. The last time he officiated such a game was on February 14, 2026, when the Minsk Region team drew 5-5 with Lukashenka’s team.
His father, Aliaksandr Haurylenak, was a well-known goalkeeper in the past. He played for Minsk-based Dinamo and Tivali and won the Belarusian championship four times. He made 17 appearances for the Belarus national team and played two games at the 1998 World Championship. After ending his playing career following the 2002/03 season, the elder Haurylenak became a coach. He worked in the Dinamo Minsk system, with Belarusian youth teams and with the Estonian national team. From 2009 to 2015, he coached Brest, where his sons Aliaksei and Mikalai played in defense. The elder son ended his career with that team, when his father left the post.
Last season, Alexander Haurylenak coached the youth teams of Pinsk Yastreby. Before joining Brest, his older son Mikalai played defense for Dinamo Minsk (winning the Extra League silver medal in 2006) and Neman. He ended his career in Zhlobin, and in total played 410 Extra League games, scoring 56 points (13+43).
It was previously reported that 43-year-old Tatsiana Martsishchanka went missing on September 8. Relatives contacted the police after the woman, who was five to six months pregnant, stopped responding. The man was detained within 24 hours. It was reported that he confessed to the crime.
According to Onliner, Tatsiana graduated from the Belarusian State Medical University in 2006. She was an obstetrician-gynecologist and worked for some time at one of Minsk’s maternity hospitals. She later started a business related to the medical sector, according to neighbors. She is survived by an adult daughter.
A farewell ceremony for Tatsiana Martsishchanka will be held on September 14 from 9 a.m. to noon at the farewell church of the St. Elisabeth Convent in Minsk.