Pursuit of Minsk's espionage on Belarusian opposition figures in exile
In the realm of international politics, the Belarusian dictatorship has been making headlines for its attempts to export its authoritarian rule beyond its borders. Poland and Lithuania, home to many Belarusian exiles, have become nests of dissent that the regime seeks to silence.
One such individual is Angelika Melnikova, a former public relations executive for Coca-Cola in Belarus, who now resides in Poland. Melnikova, who holds Polish nationality since 2024, has been linked to Alexei Lobev, a known KGB agent, since at least 2023. In April 2024, a search was conducted at her Minsk residence. Melnikova was also a member of the Council of Coordination, an exile parliament. However, her current whereabouts are unknown, as she has been missing for five months.
Another notable figure is Ales Krot, a 35-year-old dissident who has faced raids on civil society for three years. In early December 2023, Krot escaped to Poland via a confidential route and revealed the Belarusian intelligence operations publicly. During an interrogation in a Belarusian KGB building in Minsk, Krot was given a choice between prison or cooperation by Major Alexander, the interrogator in the scene. Facing the prospect of imprisonment, Krot chose cooperation and feigned remorse. He was given the code name "Krot" (mole in Belarusian) by Major Alexander.
The Belarusian intelligence operations against exiles in Poland and Lithuania are not limited to direct recruitment and intimidation. They also involve extensive surveillance by the Belarusian KGB. These services openly contact members of the Belarusian diaspora through social media and digital platforms, offering financial compensation, new passports, travel permissions, and guarantees of safe return from exile as incentives for cooperation.
However, coercive methods such as psychological pressure and threats against family members still in Belarus are commonly used to compel cooperation. This was evident in the case of Daria Ostapenko, a veterinarian living in Poland, who was a spy for the Belarusian KGB, working undercover on the erotic platform OnlyFans. Ostapenko's secret was discovered when she confessed to friends under the influence of alcohol and was arrested and sentenced. After serving a prison sentence and being released on probation, she has since disappeared.
The office of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled leader of democratic forces in Vilnius, Lithuania, is one of the targets. Belarusian and Russian intelligence services also exploit platforms like Telegram to find vulnerable individuals, particularly those seeking quick jobs, increasing their leverage through blackmail and coercion.
Two fake democrats, Dzmitry Pratasevich and Maksim Kandratovich, who were actually Yury Kiziuk and Mikhail Pavetka, agents of the Belarusian military intelligence (GRU), were also discovered operating in Warsaw. These agents held seven cover passports and tried to get close to members of the opposition's entourage in Warsaw.
In the face of these operations, the exile communities in Poland and Lithuania remain resilient. Pavel Latouchka, a former Minister of Culture and Ambassador, is currently a refugee in Warsaw and a sworn enemy of the Belarusian dictator. His courage and determination serve as a beacon of hope for those seeking freedom from the clutches of the Belarusian regime.
[1] Source: Lithuanian and Polish intelligence reports
- The Belarusian intelligence operations against exiles in Poland and Lithuania do not only involve direct recruitment and intimidation; they also include extensive surveillance through social media and digital platforms, offering incentives like financial compensation, new passports, travel permissions, and guarantees of safe return from exile.
- In the general-news category, Poland and Lithuania's nests of dissent, home to many Belarusian exiles, have faced crime-and-justice issues, as the Belarusian regime seeks to silence opposition voices, such as that of Angelika Melnikova, a former public relations executive for Coca-Cola in Belarus, now missing for five months.
