Ukraine Places Father and Son Sentenced in Belarus on Terrorism Charges on Wanted List
Reform.news Editorial Team · 12 October 2026, 15:34
https://reform.news/en/ukraine-places-father-and-son-sentenced-in-belarus-on-terrorism-charges-on-wanted-list/Ukrainian citizens Serhii Kabarchuk and Pavlo Kabarchuk, who were sentenced to 20 years in a Belarusian penal colony on terrorism charges, have been placed on Ukraine’s wanted list. They are suspected of illegal drug production and smuggling, Radio Svaboda reports, citing informed sources.
According to a source quoted by the outlet, Kabarchuk and his father, residents of Stara Vyzhivka in the Kovel District of Ukraine’s Volyn Region, illegally crossed the Ukrainian-Belarusian border to evade criminal prosecution in Ukraine.
A criminal case against them was opened in Ukraine on December 27, 2022. That day, the Kabarchuks were detained in Ukrainian territory near the village of Selezivka in Zhytomyr Region, close to the border with Belarus. Border guards found them alongside other people near a car containing two bags and a backpack with 68 packages of narcotic substances, as later confirmed by an expert examination. A total of 44.6 kg of drugs, calculated as dry substance, was found. The detainees allegedly intended to transport them to Belarus.
In February 2023, Ukrainian investigators identified other suspects, as well as links between them and a route used to move through the border area.
In August 2023, the court found the charges substantiated and began hearing the case on its merits. The defendants partially admitted their guilt. The Kabarchuks apparently remained in custody until November 2024, when they were released on bail. They subsequently managed to leave Ukraine.
A court hearing in their case was scheduled for February 21, 2024. As the Kabarchuks failed to appear, the court approved a decision ordering their compulsory appearance.
In Belarus, the father and son were detained on February 15, 2024, in Lelchytsy District. The Belarusian authorities announced a “counterterrorism operation” during which they allegedly detained saboteurs who had crossed the border through swamps with the help of drones and transported explosives. Belarusian citizen Vitaly Vlasyuk was also detained alongside the Ukrainians.
In October 2024, the Kabarchuks were each sentenced to 20 years in a penal colony with enhanced security and fined 700 base units. They were charged with terrorism, unlawful acts involving firearms, ammunition and explosives, intelligence activities, and the illegal transportation of firearms, ammunition and explosives across the border.
While in a pre-trial detention centre, 63-year-old Serhii Kabarchuk was diagnosed with cancer. He is serving his sentence at Penal Colony No. 17 in Shklou. His son Pavlo is serving his sentence at Prison No. 4 in Mahiliou.
Belarusian human rights defenders have recognised the Kabarchuks as political prisoners.