Candidate of Historical Sciences, adjunct professor at the Institute of History, University of Wroclaw. Melnikov specialized in military history and the history of the period when Western Belarus was part of Poland (1921-1939). He has published a dozen and a half books on Western Belarus. In 2020, he was awarded the L. Sapieha Prize for the preservation of the historical heritage of Belarus.
It is known for sure that he was arrested and is being held in a pretrial detention center. Melnikov's last activity on Instagram dates back to January 21, 2024.
Melnikov is being tried for an interview he gave to an unnamed independent media outlet in 2022. The trial is being held in open mode. An excerpt from the indictment was quoted by SB:
"In 2022, Igor Melnikov, motivated by national hatred and discord, as well as political and ideological hatred, knowingly knowing about the extremist activities of participants in an information resource banned in Belarus, gave them an interview in order to develop and popularize media of this kind and involve more citizens in such activities," the prosecutor said. It is noted that the historian gave comments to the media both in Belarus and in Poland. Melnikov reportedly admitted his guilt.
The Court of Appeal reduced the sentence imposed by the court of first instance by 2 years.
Igor was released in early September 2025, having served his full sentence.
Trial outcome 13.09.2024
4 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions.
Appeal 05.11.2024
2 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions.
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