Two "railroad partisans" sentenced to 22 years in prison in Belarus

This was reported by Radio Liberty.

Another defendant in the case, Yevgeny Minkevych, received a 1.5-year sentence and was released under an amnesty.

According to the prosecution, the young men were involved in the burning of two relay cabinets of a signal installation on the railroad near the major railway junction of Osipovichi.

Dmitri Klimov and Vladimir Avramtsev were found guilty under five articles of the Criminal Code, including "terrorist act, high treason" and "participation in a terrorist organization". According to the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty, the trial was held behind closed doors.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, sabotage on the railways of Russia and Belarus has become more frequent. Allegedly, the "partisans" are disabling rails and control systems to prevent trains with Russian manpower and military equipment from moving to Ukraine. "Railroad partisans" in Belarus are usually sentenced to long prison terms, ranging from 12 to 23 years.

• On December 28, three Belarusian "railroad partisans" were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for trying to stop Russian trains.