Body of Missing Youth Found in Belarus After Protests

The body of 28-year-old Nikita Krivtsov, who had been missing since August 12 during the protests in Belarus, was discovered deceased. According to the search and rescue team 'Angel,' his body was found hanging from a tree in a forest on August 22, as reported by meduza.io.

Natalya Ganusevich, spokesperson for the Minsk police, stated that the young man's body was located in a wooded area. Krivtsov's wife recounted that she was unsure whether he participated in the protests or was arrested during them. 'He lost contact on August 12 and had disappeared. Today, we received a call informing us that he was found hanging,' she said.

Initially, it was reported that there were signs of violence on his body. However, Sergey Kovgan, the head of the search and rescue team, mentioned that the police informed the victim's family that there were no visible marks of violence on the body. Krivtsov's wife has not yet seen her husband's body but is adamant that he would not have taken his own life.

The protests in Belarus have continued for 14 days, with citizens expressing their discontent over the results of the presidential elections held on August 9, which proclaimed the incumbent president as the winner with 80 percent of the votes. Thousands were arrested in the initial days of the demonstrations, hundreds were injured, and three protesters lost their lives, with some sources reporting up to five casualties.

Notably, yesterday, estimates indicated that between 100,000 to 150,000 protesters gathered in Independence Square before marching to the 'Planet' hotel near the 'Minsk—Hero City' monument, which is surrounded by hundreds of soldiers.