SVIATLANA BAZHANKOVA, Belarusian Orthodox Church (Homieĺ)

Sviatlana Bazhankova (born 11 March 1966) is an Orthodox Christian believer from Homieĺ who worked for many years as an insurance agent.

Details of the charges against her are unknown. It is presumed that her criminal prosecution is connected with the so-called “Hajun case” – a monitoring project that tracked the movement of Russian troops and military equipment across the territory of Belarus, which has been used by Russia as a staging ground for its war against Ukraine. According to available information, the prosecution of Sviatlana Bazhankova was likely related to her sending a message to the chat-bot of the Belarusian Hajun project.

Sviatlana Bazhankova was prosecuted under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (“facilitating extremist activity”). She was convicted by the Homiel Regional Court in 2026. The exact date of the judgment and other details of the court decision remain unknown. According to available information, she was sentenced to restriction of liberty without placement in an open-type correctional institution (“home chemistry”).

On 12 June 2026, she was added to the list of Belarusian citizens, foreign citizens and stateless persons involved in extremist activities.