Nikolai is a former customs officer and activist with the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada." He was arrested in September 2022 as part of a criminal case opened under several articles, including "intentional illegal crossing of the state border by an organized group."
In April 2023, he was found guilty: according to the prosecution, Nikolai paid to help those wishing to illegally cross the Belarusian-Lithuanian border and also participated in the creation of an extremist group.
On March 19, 2026, he was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Lithuania.
