Human rights defenders found out, that since February, 2023, a Guard Lieutenant Colonel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, Anton Cheremnykh, had been held in the pre-trial detention facility 1. He was the Deputy commander of the 310th Artillery Group for ideological work of the 120th Guards Separate Mechanized Brigade.

The circumstances of the case are unknown. However, according to the preliminary information, he is accused of «high treason», which sounds very strange, as he is a professional ideologist, a deputy commander for political affairs, quite famous in military circles.

Exactly a year ago, the propagandist newspaper Zviazda published a report from the 120th Guards Separate Mechanized Brigade, deployed in Uruchcha in Minsk. Besides other officers, the journalists mainly talked to Anton Cheremnykh. Moreover, it was the conversation with him what the whole article was built on. Judging from that publication, it is very difficult to suspect the officer of disloyalty.

Nevertheless, now we see that he is arrested and is in the pre-trial detention facility on suspicion of «high treason» which means that either he has been disloyal to Lukashenka, or he tried to desert. Now, the colonel is facing death penalty according to the new amendments to the Belarusian legislation.

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