Investigation Into ‘Rail Partisans’ Case Completed In Belarus

The activists are accused of terrorism.

The Investigatory Committee of Belarus announced on Wednesday, June 29, the completion of the investigation into the first case of the so-called “rail partisans” — activists who sabotaged the Belarusian railway tracks, which were used for the movement of trains with the Russian military equipment going to participate in the war in Ukraine. The defendants are accused of terrorism on the railway, the press-center of the law enforcement agency said.

“According to the investigation, a 29-year-old resident of Svetlahorsk in February of this year, on his own initiative, joined the extremist formations BYPOL /" mobilization plan “Pieramoha”, the leaders of which assigned him the task of disabling the railway infrastructure in the Homel region,” the Belarusian Investigatory Committee said.

There are two other men involved in this case. According to the materials of the investigation, these persons set fire to a relay cabinet with equipment that ensures the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles, for money. According to security officials, the damage amounted to about 55 thousand Belarusian rubles (more than 16 thousand dollars). The defendants face death penalty.

“Rail partisans”

The Nasha Niva media outlet announced the names of the defendants — Dzianis Dzikun, Dzmitry Ravich, and Aleh Mauchanau. The brother of one of them, Dzmitry Dzikun, explained the actions of his relative by saying that he was trying to “at least somehow help Ukraine”.

Cases of destruction of signaling installation relay cabinets in Belarus became more frequent after the start of the war in Ukraine.