Dzmitry Paulichenka’s Ally Dies In Russia From Grenade Explosion

The former head of the death squads said that he “stood shoulder to shoulder with him.”

Yury Mikhailau, a former special forces soldier from Mahiliou, died from a grenade explosion in Russia. He was only 47 years old; in 1995-1996, he served in the 1st special forces company of military unit 3214 (Uruchcha) with the rank of sergeant major, human rights activists from the MAYDAY.TEAM report.

Yury Mikhailau died on June 2, and a farewell ceremony for the deceased was organized exactly a week later in Mahiliou. The head of the Belarusian Association of Veterans of Special Forces Units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs “Honour”, ex-commander of the death squads Dzmitry Paulichenka, personally came to the funeral ceremony.

In his speech, Paulichenka mentioned that in the 90s, Yury Mikhailau was one of those fighters with whom “we had to take risks together, standing shoulder to shoulder, harshly suppressing attempts to encroach on the constitutional system by banditry and extremist elements.”

Military unit 3214 was intended to disperse mass opposition events.

The funeral was organized through donations from members of the Honor Association. The circumstances of the ex-special forces soldier's death have not been disclosed.