A faction of Belarusian exiles has publicly announced their intention to overthrow the country’s authoritarian ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, at an unspecified future date. The group, known as BYPOL, consists of dissidents and former Belarusian officers who are currently based in Poland. Their leader, Aliaksandr Azarau, a former Belarusian officer, disclosed their plans in an interview with the Belgian media outlet VRT, emphasizing that a crucial aspect of their strategy involves defeating Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. Azarau believes that Putin’s defeat is essential for weakening Lukashenko’s grip on power, stating, “Without Putin, there is no Lukashenko.”
BYPOL has been engaged in a range of activities aimed at undermining the Kremlin’s war efforts against Ukraine, including acts of sabotage that have targeted Russian military assets. Among their operations, the group claimed responsibility for a drone attack in February 2023 that significantly damaged a Russian military aircraft near Minsk.
Azarau resigned from his position in the Belarusian security services and fled to Ukraine, and later to Poland. In February, a Belarusian court sentenced him in absentia to 25 years in prison, alongside five other former law enforcement officers, for charges including “inciting social hatred, plotting to seize power forcibly, and creating an extremist group.”
Expanded Coverage:
