Sergei was arrested in December 2021 for distributing "protest" newspapers, but during the investigation, the number of criminal code articles under which he was charged increased to five. At trial, the case was sent for further investigation, during which Sergei was added to the list of "terrorists."
In December 2022, he was convicted of a number of criminal charges, including "inciting other social hatred and discord" and "assisting extremist activity," and sentenced to imprisonment.
On December 13, 2025, he was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
