On September 28 of last year, EPAM employee Andrei Zeltsar and KGB employee Dmytri Fedasiuk were killed in a shootout in Minsk.

Detentions of "commentators" took place in Belarus.

More than 200 people were imprisoned.

Svoboda found out how and for what the accused are tried.

"Adhered to the idea of ​​creating enmity towards KGB employees"

Svoboda wrote more than once about the trials in the "Zeltsar case".

Detainees whose comments contained derogatory statements against the police, the KGB and the authorities were tried mainly for "inciting social enmity" (Article 130 of the Criminal Code).

Some of the arrested "commentators" were tried for "discrediting the Republic of Belarus" (Article 369-1 of the Criminal Code).

Ilya Mironov, a well-known Gomel volunteer, was tried for "discrediting the Republic of Belarus" (https://www.svaboda.org/a/32108866.html).

The indictment came to the conclusion that the volunteer "formed a positive image of Zeltsar and a negative image of the KGB employees" with comments expressing sympathy for Andrei Zeltzar's family.

Svaboda received an audio recording of one of the recent trials in the "Zeltsar case".

The defendant was a young man who, under the news of a shootout in Minsk, left a sarcastic comment in the "UKontakte" community.

At the trial, he was accused of "having a criminal intent", "acting from motives of political and ideological enmity", "wanting to influence public consciousness", "inciting enmity towards KGB employees".

"They did not break the door, but tried to get into the apartment"

During the trial, the accused said that on September 28, 2021, he noticed news about a shootout in Minsk in one of the "UKontakte" communities.

The news also included a video of what happened in Zeltsar's apartment.

"I wrote a comment under the news in which I called the actions of KGB employees illegal.

He expressed a negative attitude towards them.

I saw on the video that the officers were knocking down the door," the accused told the court.

"They are not knocking down the door, but trying to get into the apartment, the residential premises," the employee of the prosecutor's office corrected the accused.

Another member of the community reacted to his comment in the chat, who expressed the opinion that the KGB officers acted lawfully.

A discussion began between them, during which the accused called his opponent a "fool".

The recording received by Svaboda includes a part of the interrogation of the accused by a representative of the prosecutor's office and a judge.

- Why did you leave such a comment?

- I thought it was possible to express my opinion.

- Did you want people to read your comment?

- No.

- So why did they leave it in the open?

- Because people have relationships with each other, they talk.

I thought so.

I thought that if the community has open comments, then you can write them.

- Did you think that they could be written in the form you wrote?

- I didn't write anything offensive.

He only gave a positive assessment to the employees.

I do not fully understand what I am being accused of.

- People who will read your comment - they will have social hostility towards employees (force structures. - RS), tolerance in society will be broken.

Did you understand that?

- At that time I did not understand it.

After the employee of the prosecutor's office, the judge started the interrogation.

- You have a higher technical education.

You don't have a legal education, do you?

So, you are ignorant in these matters.

So where did you get the idea that the KGB is breaking into an apartment without reason?

Why did you write: "He (Zeltsar. — RS) had the right to defend his life"?

- I didn't think.

- They didn't think.

So, it turned out that they came just to break down the door?

Do they break in without a decision, without a warrant?

The woman in the comment explained to you that their actions were legal, and you called her a "fool".

She is trying to rub something into your head, and you write: "Tomorrow they will come to you, they will say they serve the deputies."

You write about low wages and rising prices.

What are you writing this for?

- From stupidity.

I wrote on emotions.

- Emotions must have reasons.

What do you have?

Did you get a pay cut?

No.

Did the police take you somewhere and beat you?

No.

And you write as if you know something.

And in people like you, and more ordinary people, you are making a fuss that everyone starts to think that everything is so bad here that they can break in without a decree, break down the door for one reason or another.

How do you rate your actions?

- I acted badly, wrongly.

The process in this case has already ended.

As Svaboda knows, the accused was eventually sentenced to imprisonment.

Andrey Zeltsar's shootout with the KGB group.

What is known

On September 28, around two o'clock in the afternoon, KGB officers in civilian clothes broke down the door and broke into the apartment where

Andrei Zeltsar

and his wife

Maria Uspenskaya

were .

According to the official version, Seltsar shot twice and mortally wounded one of the KGB group.

KGB officers shot him in response.

The wife, who filmed the incident on her phone, was detained for aiding in the murder.

Andrei Zeltsar was 31 years old.

In 2008, he graduated from the technical school of business and law.

Since 2016, he worked at Epam as a team leader.

He was fond of fencing, cross-country running, and triathlon.

It is known that he paid a state duty for the right to hunt.

This may mean that he had the gun legally, and the relevant authorities were aware of it.

Judging by the photo on Zeltsar's Instagram, the brand of the gun is "IZH-27".

On August 17, 2020, on his Instagram, he called for a general strike and "go to the end."

His wife Maria Uspenskaya worked in a chain of household chemicals stores, she is 40 years old.

They have a son born in 2012.

At first, only the call sign "Nirvana" was officially reported about the dead KGB employee.

On the day of farewell to him, September 1, BelTA reported that his name is

Dmitri Fedasiuk

, he is an officer of group "A" of the KGB.

Previously, this information was unofficially reported by ByPol.

Fedasyuk was 31 years old.

He is survived by his wife and small child.

Dmitry Fedasiuk

Pro-government media published a video from the scene of the incident around eight o'clock in the evening.

It was edited from the recordings of two cameras - from the side of the security forces and from the side of Seltsar.

Security forces explained the recording from Seltsar's room as his desire to "hype".

Some social media users considered the video to be staged.

Others, on the basis of the footage shown, had doubts about the official version of the incident.

Different opinions were expressed: that the KGB fighters could have mortally wounded their own, and that Seltsar fired traumatic bullets, not hunting bullets (which, however, could have inflicted a fatal wound at close range).