Former security personnel in Belarus who escaped due to the oppressive rule of Alexander Lukashenko are alleging that he might have played a role in the murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet from Ukrainska Pravda.
Source: Findings brought to light by the Association of Security Forces of Belarus, increasingly known as BYPOL, are shedding more context on this troubling case.
According to a trusted former officer, “Some months ago, a reliable source connected with us and shared information indicating that Sheremet’s death was orchestrated by Belarusian President Lukashenko, with the Alpha unit of the KGB orchestrating the execution.”
What we know: It’s reported that Lukashenko held a personal vendetta against Sheremet. Their rivalry began back in 1997 when Sheremet exposed wrongdoing related to smuggling and border security issues along the Belarus-Lithuania frontier.
This source hinted at the KGB’s elite unit being significantly involved in the incident.
One of the alleged operatives, Viachaslav Sydorakin, had been previously referenced in the documentary Operation Mankurty. Part 2., where it was revealed that he assisted a KGB officer in escaping Belarus with sensitive materials.
About Viachaslav Sydorakin.
Screenshot from the relevant documentary.
The probe has also called attention to Yuriy Harkach, another Alpha unit operative, who received a four-year jail sentence in 2022 for unrelated weapons crimes. During Spring 2012, KGB Chairman Vadim Zaitsev appointed Harkach to carry out special tasks directly answering to him, equipped with lavish resources from the KGB.
Yuriy Harkach.
Screenshot from the relevant documentary.
While at the KGB, Harkach was in charge of a covert unit for special missions. Reports say that Sydorakin and sniper Alexander Zaitsev, who is also KGB chief’s son, were part of this operational group.
Alexander Zaitsev.
Screenshot from the relevant documentary.
Their operations abroad were allegedly financed by the KGB’s First Directorate of Foreign Intelligence. Harkach’s missions were backed by trusted investigator Ivan Sanko who maintained a close relationship with Zaitsev.
Ivan Sanko.
Screenshot from the relevant documentary.
In mid-2012, Harkach reportedly received substantial cash for a task in Moscow, which potentially involved surveilling Sheremet during his time in Russia and Ukraine between 2012 and 2015.
BYPOL highlighted that a man observed near Sheremet’s vehicle on the night of the attack bore a striking resemblance to Sydorakin. They also noted that a woman accompanying him was similar to Tatyana Kozlova, a member of the Belarusian Interior Ministry’s Almaz unit since 2000, despite her lack of official border crossing into Ukraine since 2012, leading to suspicions regarding her involvement.
About BYPOL: This organization united former Belarusian law officials against the Lukashenko government leans on citizen testimony, documentation, and publicly available information in their investigations.
Background Info:
◦ Journalist Pavlo Sheremet tragically lost his life in a car explosion on the morning of July 20, 2016.
◦ In a related investigation done back in 2017, journalists pointed out the presence of suspicious vehicles around Sheremet’s residence during the time the bomb was placed. One such vehicle was connected to Ihor Ustymenko, a past member of Ukraine’s Security Service. There were also reports that security personnel tampered with surveillance footage from a camera near Sheremet’s place.
◦ To this day, no clear masterminds behind the murder have been identified, and this remains an ongoing investigation.
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