It became known who received housing in the "secret" house near Drozdzy. Among them is a security official who "distinguished himself" in 2020
Officials are moving into the ten-story house near Drozdzy, which was called "secret". This was found out by the "Zerkalo" (Mirror) publication thanks to a source familiar with the situation.
High-rise building on Tikhaya Street, 54, near Drozdzy in Minsk
What housing are we talking about?
More than a year ago, a multi-story building was completed at 54 Tikhaya Street – the construction was carried out by a state company. What kind of project it was and who would live there was not reported. Only once did the developer state that apartments in this house would not go on open sale. Such "secrecy" gave rise to additional questions – suspicions arose that the apartments in the ten-story building were intended for officials and functionaries, and the house itself began to be called "secret".
Who received the apartments?
As "Zerkalo" (Mirror) found out with the help of a source familiar with the situation, more than 50 apartments in this "secret" multi-story building at 54 Tikhaya Street acquired their owners in February-March 2025.
Among those who moved in are several high-ranking officials. For example, one of the apartments belongs to the First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Yury Nazarenka, who fell under US and EU sanctions — as he is responsible "for the campaign of repression and intimidation carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs under his command after the 2020 presidential elections". As previously reported, after the brutal beating of detainees in 2020 at the Frunzensky District Department of Internal Affairs in Minsk, Nazarenka promised to conduct an investigation, based on the results of which "certain conclusions will be drawn." Whether the security forces involved were brought to justice is unknown.
The owner of another apartment in the "secret" house is Yury Yaroshevich. This is the Ambassador of Belarus to Israel, who took this position in January 2025. Prior to this, he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Belarus in Russia.
Among other owners of square meters in this house is Aliaksei Shapetska. He works as the director of the "Belarus" sanatorium in Sochi, which is part of the Presidential Property Management Directorate. This sanatorium accepts Russian military personnel and volunteers participating in the war against Ukraine for treatment and rehabilitation, as well as teams from enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, Belpol previously reported.
Among the new residents is also Aliaksandr Rahozhnik – former Ambassador of Belarus to Russia, and now the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee.
In addition to them, apartments in this house were received by dozens of ordinary officials and functionaries from various departments. In their documents, it is stated that for five years from the date of state registration of the living premises, it cannot be sold, donated, or otherwise transferred to another owner. Also, the premises can only be pledged to a bank.
By the way, in Belarus, the practice of fully or partially populating houses with employees of state structures, beneficiaries, and security forces has been used for many years. Therefore, it is not entirely clear why in this case the state developer or the capital's authorities did not immediately explain to the public the purpose of building the real estate.
How much does housing cost in this area?
As the developer stated, apartments in the house were not put up for sale. There were only a few exceptions: for example, in March last year, an advertisement appeared for the sale of a two-room apartment in this house with an area of 57.3 sq. m. The price was about 535,837 rubles, or 179,000 dollars. This is 3,124 dollars per square meter. In this case, the property was marked as private.
If you look at other offers in this elite area, their cost is significantly higher. For example, across the road, on Pionierskaya Street, a three-room apartment with an area of 80.2 sq. m is being sold for 1,038,750 rubles, or 375 thousand dollars. In another neighboring house – also on Pionierskaya – there is a two-level apartment of 165.1 sq. m for 1.55 million rubles, or almost 560 thousand dollars. Of course, the characteristics of this housing may significantly differ from those in the house on Tikhaya, 54 – both for better and for worse.