Booze, police, contract: How Belarusians end up in the Russian army and at war
Belarusians in Ukrainian captivity / euroradio.fm
Today, more than forty Belarusian volunteers are known to have died defending Ukraine. However, Belarusian citizens are also fighting on the other side - in the Russian army. How do they end up there, who are they, and how many are there?
Euroradio has uncovered the biographies of 45 Belarusian citizens who have died in Ukraine, gone missing, or been captured while fighting under the Russian tricolour.
In Ukrainian Captivity
The Ukrainian project "I Want to Live" publishes information about Russian soldiers who have died or been captured in Ukraine. Staff of the project told Euroradio about five Belarusian citizens who were fighting as contractors on Russia's side and voluntarily surrendered to Ukrainian forces. Belarusian security insiders from BELPOL helped to reveal their biographies.
Dzmitry Ananchyk
24-year-old Dzmitry Ananchyk from Minsk said in an interview with "I Want to Live" that he ended up in the war "by accident": the military police caught him in occupied Luhansk, where he had gone "to earn money". He was drunk, and at the police station, he was forced to sign a military contract.
Artur Yefremov
37-year-old labourer Artur Yafremau from Kasciukovičy had multiple convictions for property crimes. His last known sentence was in 2019. He moved to Russia afterwards.
In a video recorded in Ukrainian captivity, Yafremau tells a story eerily similar to Ananchyk's: he was working in Russia, was caught drunk by the police, and pressured to sign a "contract for war."
Yauhien Kamiankou
Police in Belarus declared 26-year-old Yauhien Kamiankou from Babrujsk wanted in July 2022 after he disappeared with a teenager from a monastery in Brest. The boy was found in Russia a week later. Kamenkov's whereabouts became known only in May 2024 when Ukrainian forces captured him on the battlefield.
Kamiankou has a criminal record. In 2017, he found and kept five bullets. He was subjected to "safety and treatment measures".
A woman from Babrujsk who knew Kamiankou said she hadn't been in contact with him for 7-8 years. His adoptive father, she said, "had a really hard time with him."
Andrei Lapatniou
33-year-old Andrei Lapatniou from Viciebsk worked various jobs, from sales agent to construction. In 2016, while employed at the Technological University Science Park in Viciebsk, he was convicted on drug charges.
In March 2024, he planned to move to Europe with a work visa but was again detained over marijuana. After signing a no-travel pledge, he fled to Russia, where, in April 2024, police detained him and offered a contract.
He joined the 123rd Motorized Rifle Brigade. His relatives were unaware of his location. He is now a prisoner of war and asks to be exchanged and returned to Belarus, where his two daughters await.
Ivan Shabunko
Ivan Shabunko from Masty had multiple convictions between 1998 and 2002, including in Białystok (Poland) for burglary and car theft. He was captured by Belarusian volunteers from the BDK and Terror units.
He later said he had moved to Russia after Poland for construction work. Following a drunken brawl with police, he faced criminal charges but was offered a military contract instead, which he accepted.
Nothing has been heard from 48-year-old Aleh Taukachevich from Biaroza, Brest region, since November 2022, when he was transferred from Russia's penal colony No. 9 in Kaliningrad to Wagner training. He then disappeared.
A relative said they don't know how he ended up in the colony but added: "He probably went on a combat mission. Signed a contract, and that's it."
Among the missing are 36-year-old Kanstantsin Karotki from Barysau, 27-year-old Yauhien "Legionnaire" Ilyin from Lepiel, and 51-year-old Mikhail Shaluhin. The family of 34-year-old Ihar Khasanau from Hrodna was luckier — he was found alive in a hospital in Russian-occupied Luhansk in early March with moderate shrapnel wounds.
The actual number of Belarusian citizens killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine is likely much higher. Many bodies remain unidentified. Others may have received Russian citizenship before the war, making them appear in statistics as Russian nationals.
Work in Russia — A Direct Road to the Front
Social media is flooded with job postings in Russia targeting Belarusians, mainly for construction work. Some include work in Russian-occupied Crimea.
There are also open calls for contract service in the Russian army. But as the stories of captured Belarusians show, sometimes just going to Russia for any job — especially in occupied territories — is a one-way ticket to the front lines.
Russian forums include Belarusians' questions about joining the "special military operation."
To Vasiliy from Angarsk, one user replies:
"Belarusians can serve in the Russian army under contract if specific requirements are met.
But there are restrictions. Service is only available for positions filled by soldiers, sailors, sergeants, and petty officers. You must have legal residency in Russia (temporary residence permit or permanent residency).
Candidates must be 18-30 years old and have at least a basic education (9 grades). Some positions require a complete secondary education (11 grades) or vocational training."
Both Dzmitry and Vasiliy likely meet the low standards of the Russian military. Technically, Belarus's laws against mercenarism could stop them. But in practice, those laws are selectively applied. Belarusians who fight for Russian forces are rarely prosecuted unless other charges exist. Meanwhile, those who fight for Ukraine do face criminal prosecution.
