On February 15, 2024, a "counter-terrorism operation" was declared in the Lelchitsy district of the Gomel region on the border with Ukraine. Residents were asked to "remain calm and comply with the demands of law enforcement." The KGB claimed to have detained members of a "sabotage and reconnaissance group" that included citizens of Ukraine and Belarus. Among those detained were father and son Sergei and Pavel Kabarchuks, Ukrainian citizens. Sergei Kabarchuks, born in 1963, are from the Kovel district of the Volyn region. The father and son were detained in February 2024 in the Lelchitsy district. "Explosive devices and other weapons of destruction" were found on them. The KGB "determined" that the explosive devices were intended for terrorist attacks in Belarus and Russia, and that the "infiltration of the group" was organized by the Security Service of Ukraine.
Vitaly Vlasyuk, a resident of Brest born in 1970, was also arrested at the same time. He was charged with smuggling (Part 3 of Article 228 of the Criminal Code).
He was tortured in the KGB pretrial detention center. After his arrest, he was held in the KGB pretrial detention center for several days without food.
The Kabarchuks lived in a small village in the Volyn region, where their family was waiting for them. Before his arrest, Pavel worked as a driver, transporting people to work from Ukraine to Poland.
Pavel was sent to Correctional Colony No. 1 to serve his 20-year sentence, but his stay there was short—about two months. Of that time, he spent less than two weeks in the prison unit; the rest of the time was spent in solitary confinement and a punishment cell. Soon after, Pavel's sentence was increased and he was sent to Mogilev Prison No. 4, where he also experienced pressure.
In the summer of 2026, it became known that a new criminal case had been opened against Pavel at Mogilev Prison No. 4 under Article 411 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus.
