The name of Fr Vitaliy Bystrov, a priest of the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church, was added on 10 July to the police register of “extremists” under entry No. 6763. The document states that the designation was based on a ruling by the Brest Regional Court in a case concerning “facilitating extremist activity.”
This was reported by the outlet Christians Against War.
According to the report, the priest was detained at the end of 2025 as part of the “Belaruski Hayun” case. Belaruski Hayun was a monitoring project that collected and published information on the movements of Russian troops in Belarus after the start of Russia’s full scale war against Ukraine. In April 2026, Bystrov was sentenced to restriction of liberty without placement in a correctional institution and was released in the courtroom.
Human rights defenders have included him on the list of people who have already been released but whose prosecution they consider to have been politically motivated. They are calling for his rehabilitation.
As LF previously reported, of the 16 Greek Catholic, Uniate, parishes previously registered in Belarus, four failed to complete the mandatory re registration process. These are the communities in Brest, Baranavichy, Ivatsevichy, all in Brest Region, and Orsha.
LF previously reported that the authorities in Brest Region dissolved all Greek Catholic parishes. The court ruling states that they allegedly posed “a threat to national interests.”
As LF previously reported, three Catholic priests who are Polish citizens and had served in Belarus for many years were forced to leave the country. The authorities refused to extend their permits for further ministry. All three served in the Diocese of Vitebsk.
As LF previously reported, two Polish Catholic priests who had served for many years in Brest Region were also forced to leave Belarus.
LF also reported that Fr Anatoliy Parakhnevich, rector of the parish in Olkovichi, Vileyka District, was detained. Earlier, state propaganda media had mentioned the priest in a negative context after he attended a reception marking Poland’s Constitution Day at the Embassy of Ukraine in Minsk, attempting to portray his participation as something suspicious.
It later became known that Anatoliy Parakhnevich had suffered a heart attack. The 65 year old cleric remains in pre trial detention in serious condition. According to information available to Belarusian believers, Parakhnevich has been charged with “treason against the state.” No details of the charges have been disclosed. It is believed that the priest is being held in the KGB pre trial detention centre.
As LF previously reported, the Belarusian KGB has ordered the seizure and sale of the property of Catholic priest Fr Henrykh Akalatovich. The priest was convicted of “treason against the state” and released two years later following a petition by the Vatican.
