Mikhalk, the leader of "Liapis Trubetskoy," was sentenced in Belarus to four years in a penal colony
The Minsk City Court sentenced Sergei Mikhalk, leader of the band “Lapis Trubetskoy,” in absentia to four years in a general-regime penal colony.
The musician was found guilty of “insulting” Alexander Lukashenko and “inciting social hostility.” The criminal case against Mikhalok was opened in May 2026.
The basis for the case was a series of video messages published in 2021–2022 on social media by another of the musician’s projects, Brutto. According to the Belarusian investigation, these messages contained criticism of Lukashenko, law enforcement agencies, and the military. One of the charges also relates to a video message recorded by Mikhalk after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
Source: “Viasna.”
As a reminder, Lukashenko stated that Belarusian military personnel would not take part in the war against Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that one should not be naive about Belarus’s role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to him, Minsk is under strong influence from Moscow, and most of the Belarusian government’s decisions are effectively dictated by the Kremlin.
