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The Investigative Committee has completed its investigation into the UAV attack on the Minsk OMON base
14.11.2024 07:48
The Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Minsk has completed the investigation of a high-profile criminal case in a special proceeding.
We are talking about the activities of distinguished members of the organization "Supraci" Pavel Kulazhenko and Vitaliy Potehin.
As reported by the press service of the capital's Investigative Committee, the investigation found out that the former led the extremist group "Busly Lyatsyats".
Changed tactics
At some point, he joined the conspirators who planned to carry out a military coup in Belarus with the murder of the head of state and a number of officials.
But the criminal plan was stopped by KGB officers. Then the "opposition leaders" who were abroad decided to adjust their tactics in the struggle for power.
Thus, Kulazhenko, together with the founders of the radical groups Cyber-Partisans and People's Self-Defense Forces - DNS, who left for the United States long before the 2020 elections, united into the terrorist organization Supraciu.
Their main goal was “to violently change the constitutional order of the republic by any means, including a terrorist attack,” the Investigative Committee noted.
The criminals intimidated government employees, journalists and public activists, damaged their cars and threw stones at their windows.
But they considered the so-called drone attack on the OMON base of the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee to be their “calling card,” the department noted.
Preparing a terrorist attack
Law enforcement officers have established who carried out the terrorist attack on September 25, 2021.
It turned out to be Potekhin, who “with the assistance of uninformed smugglers moved a drone with a large carrying capacity from Ukraine.”
Then, over the course of several months, this man prepared an attack on the capital’s OMON base.
In particular, at night, on his site in the Minsk region, he experimented with the composition of the incendiary mixture and trained to control the UAV.
During this same period, the criminal upgraded the drone, equipping it with a cargo release device and a video camera.
Potehin carried out the planned and carefully planned crime on the night of September 24-25.
Attack
He prepared escape routes from the country in advance, using covert measures, including masks and dark clothing without distinguishing features.
The citizen left his smartphone at home and parked his car “in a secluded place.”
Using a UAV, the defendant dropped two 5-liter bottles with an incendiary mixture on a riot police base.
Afterwards, he hid the aircraft in a hiding place to transfer it to another member of the criminal organization and left Belarus. But the UAV was discovered by operatives.
Already in another country, Potekhin asked his relatives to take from home and throw away the clothes he was wearing when he committed the terrorist attack, as well as the can containing the components of the incendiary mixture.
Accusations
The Investigative Committee reported that the named citizens were charged with committing crimes under several articles of the Criminal Code of Belarus.
Among other things, they are charged with such crimes as a terrorist act committed by an organized group and an attempt to commit a repeat terrorist act by an organized group.
In addition, they are accused of creating an organization to carry out terrorist activities, participating in it, and leading this organization.
The aforementioned citizens are also accused under articles that provide for liability for:
– illegal manufacture, storage and carrying of an object, the destructive effect of which is based on the use of flammable substances, committed repeatedly, by a group of persons by prior agreement;
- conspiracy or other actions committed with the aim of seizing or retaining state power by unconstitutional means;
- other assistance to extremist activity, committed repeatedly.
The property of the accused, the total value of which is estimated at approximately 240,000 rubles, has been seized, the Investigative Committee summed up.
