Yevgeny, a former investigator for the Investigative Committee and the founder of the bychange.me project, was first detained on the evening of November 24, 2020, in Minsk as part of a criminal case opened under the article "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them." He was released 10 days later, but in April 2021, he was arrested again and later convicted on six criminal charges, including "organizing mass riots" in 2020, "inciting other social hatred" in interviews and social media posts, and "threatening violence" against the head of the Okrestina temporary detention center via tweet.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Evgeny was "an active member of the Telegram chat 'KHATA,' whose activities are aimed at organizing extremist crimes." The trial was held behind closed doors, and Evgeny signed a non-disclosure agreement regarding the case materials.
On September 16, 2026, he was released after a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Lithuania.
