A Ukrainian Man Has Been Held In A Grodno Temporary Detention Facility For Nearly Two Months

• 30.06.2026, 12:56

His family doesn't know what he's accused of.

Ukrainian Bogdan Gerish has been in custody in Belarus for nearly two months. He was detained at the border. His family has no information about his condition, and his lawyer has not yet been able to secure a meeting with him. This was reported by the human rights center “Viasna”.

Bogdan is 29 years old; he is a permanent resident and is registered in Rome (Italy), where he is officially employed. According to his family, he was detained on May 6 while crossing the Belarusian border near Grodno. He was traveling on a scheduled bus with other passengers from Latvia to Poland through Belarus. During border control, security forces detained him and confiscated his phone and documents.

His relatives last spoke with him on May 8. At that time, Bogdan called from the detention center and reported that he had been arrested for 15 days—until May 22. After that, contact with him was lost.

“According to information the family has managed to obtain, Bogdan is currently being held at the Oktyabrsky Temporary Detention Center in Grodno. However, his attorney has not yet been able to obtain permission to visit him or determine the reason for his detention. During his detention, Bogdan’s valid Italian residence permit was confiscated; it remains in the possession of law enforcement officials. Bogdan’s girlfriend, who is currently in Poland, is pregnant,” writes “Viasna.”