A Belarusian was detained three months after returning home. He was tried and sent to a colony for five years. Security forces came for 31-year-old Dzmitry Novikau in December 2025. The pretext, according to Viasna, was “two small money transfers for the humanitarian needs of Belarusian volunteers defending Ukraine in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” Dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s regime again showed: even modest help is grounds for prison.
Who is Dzmitry Novikau
The Minsk resident is 31. In 2017 he graduated from Belarusian State University in internet marketing. He built a career in mobile product promotion: advertising agencies, then Zorka.Mobi. Since 2019 he was a senior user-acquisition specialist at the weather app WindyApp, where he led the marketing team — reported by Nasha Niva.
In recent years Dzmitry worked in Poland, then returned to Belarus in summer–autumn 2025. After coming home he remained free for about three months.
Detention and sentence
On 16 December 2025 he was detained. In May 2026 the Minsk City Court sentenced him under Article 361-3 of the Criminal Code — on participation in / financing participation in an armed conflict abroad without state permission. The judge imposed five years in a high-security colony. The facts are confirmed by Mediazona Belarus and Salidarnasts, citing Viasna.
The basis, rights defenders say, was not “combat participation” but two small cryptocurrency transfers for humanitarian needs of Belarusian volunteers serving with Ukraine’s armed forces. According to ProInfo, Novikau pleaded guilty and filed an appeal. After the trial he was moved from Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 1 to Colony No. 22 “Volchy Nory” (Wolf Dens) in Ivacevičy.
Not an isolated case
Novikau’s case is part of a conveyor. Viasna counts at least 159 people convicted for transfers to solidarity funds and initiatives branded “extremist” or “terrorist”; 44 for donations supporting Ukraine. In the same Colony No. 22, Dzmitry Kasenka is also serving five years for a donation. IT specialist Pavel Kaberda got the same five-year term for about ten donations of €10–50.
Coming “home” under Lukashenka does not mean safety. Three months of quiet after the border, then a case and a colony for humanitarian aid to people defending Ukraine. For the regime, any solidarity with Kyiv is a crime. For society, the signal is clear: crypto does not protect you, “small sums” do not soften the blow, and a homeland under this power can become a trap.