Belarus detains Russian man for 2023 arson attack on a high-ranking official's Toyota

Anton Lysenko, a 26-year-old from Cheboksary, has been detained in Belarus since 2023 over an arson attack on a high-ranking official's car. The incident is part of a wider crackdown on dissent following the 2020 protests under President Alexander Lukashenko. Lysenko and an 18-year-old accomplice, Zakhar Tarasevich, remain in custody without trial as of 2026.

In 2021, Lysenko accepted a darknet job offer to set fire to a car in Minsk for $2,000. He travelled to the city but soon realised the vehicle—a Toyota Land Cruiser—was under surveillance. Despite this, he carried out the attack, leaving the car almost completely destroyed.

Eleven hours later, police arrested Lysenko. Tarasevich, who had photographed the burned-out vehicle, was also detained that night. Lysenko was initially held in Minsk's Pretrial Detention Center No. 1, where his case was fast-tracked through closed-door proceedings.

The target of the arson was Alexei Volkov, a major general and chairman of Belarus's Committee of Forensic Examiners. While awaiting trial, Lysenko requested extradition to Russia. His background includes financial struggles, a passion for motorcycles, powerlifting, and firearms, and the loss of both parents at a young age—leaving him to live with his grandmother.

Since the 2020 mass protests, Lukashenko's government has intensified its political repression. Lysenko and Tarasevich are among those caught in the ongoing suppression, with no trial in sight three years later.

Lysenko and Tarasevich remain imprisoned without conviction as of 2026. Their case highlights the prolonged detentions facing those accused of opposing Belarus's government. The arson attack on Volkov's car is one of many incidents used to justify the ongoing crackdown.