Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee Employee Tried For 'Secret-Service Activity' In Favour Of Ukraine

• 15.02.2024, 14:03

The trial is held behind closed doors.

On February 15, the trial of 37-year-old citizen of Ukraine Andriy Shmay began in the Vitsebsk regional court.

He is charged under two serious articles of the Criminal Code: Article 358 (espionage) and Article 358-1 (secret-service activity), under which the Ukrainian faces up to 15 years in prison. The case is considered by Yauhen Burunou. The trial is held behind closed doors, writes "Viasna".

Andriy has been in custody in pre-trial detention centre-2 since January 19, 2023. He was detained right at his workplace. For a long time the family did not know what had happened to him, and only two weeks later Andriy's wife received a call from the authorities. The man, who called himself an investigator, asked her to hand over her husband's documents. He did not offer any more details.

The man was born in Chernihiv and has Ukrainian citizenship. He moved to Belarus after his marriage. The family has been living in Vitsebsk for 10 years. Andriy worked as a building maintenance worker of the Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee.

It is known that Andriy Shmay is a former military man. From 2006 to 2013, he served on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border as an inspector of the Yarylavichy checkpoint. Then he moved to Vitsebsk, got a job as a worker for complex maintenance and repair of buildings and structures - he performed various works related to the maintenance of the infrastructure of the institution (maintenance of electrics, plumbing and other routine work that did not require high qualifications).