Dmitry Kapuza. Image credit: ONT
MINSK, 2 April (BelTA) – Terrorists were paid $10-20 per 1kg of dangerous cargo that they had to smuggle from Ukraine to Belarus, BelTA learned from the Zachistka [Mopping-up] film released by the Belarusian TV channel ONT.
BelTA reported earlier that in January 2024 Belarus’ State Security Committee (KGB) apprehended 12 residents of a border district of Belarus. They were agents of Ukrainian security agencies, had smuggled explosives across the border and made stashes in Belarus’ territory.
One of the arrestees Dmitry Kapuza was born in the village of Svaryn, Drogichin District, Brest Oblast in 1989. He had no official employment after leaving school. Dmitry Kapuza is implicated in smuggling operations, illegal migration, illegal timber felling and hunting. He is an agent of Ukraine’s security agencies.
Mikhailo Kinchak was Dmitry Kapuza’s contact on the Ukrainian side. Mikhailo Kinchak was born in 1984. He lives in the village of Vetly, Lyubeshev District, Volyn Oblast and works in a local forestry enterprise. Due to professional duties he knows the border area and approaches to the border really well. Mikhailo Kinchak has been previously convicted and is an agent of Ukraine’s security agencies.
The villages where Dmitry Kapuza and Mikhailo Kinchak lived were located only 5km away from each other. The men communicated only via the messaging app WhatsApp until the Ukrainian told Dmitry Kapuza to switch to a new SIM card with credentials from a different person. Dmitry Kapuza’s brother Aleksandr helped with that. Aleksandr Kapuza was born in Drogichin District, Brest Oblast in 1987. He has been repeatedly prosecuted for violating border area access regulations, illegal timber felling, and beating his wife. He has been tried for running over a pedestrian, who died.
One day the smugglers were told they needed to move a cargo from Ukraine across the border. Dmitry Kapuza went across the border together with Vladimir Kapuza (who is no relative of the former). Vladimir Kapuza was born in Drogichin District, Brest Oblast in 1985. He had no official employment and made a living by smuggling, illegal migration, and illegal timber felling. He has been repeatedly prosecuted for illegally crossing the border, illegally keeping weapons and ammunition, and for beating his wife.
The smugglers transported the dangerous goods many times. But that time they had to transport several heavy sacks at once. They smuggled the sacks across a desolate section of the border by floating them by water. The Ukrainian side paid the smugglers in cash: 10-20 U.S. dollars per kilogram.
