Belarusian volunteer Lakhvich shaved bald and a humiliating "repentance" video filmed. What is known

Aliaksandr "Lakhvich" Navkovich. Left — shaved in the "repentance" video. Collage: "Nasha Niva"

A strange video appeared on the social media pages of Belarusian volunteer Aliaksandr "Lakhvich" Navkovich.

In it, Lakhvich — already without his recognizable mustache and beard — speaks a "repentance" monologue to the camera. He says that mustaches were "a sign of the gentry," and that he himself, by his actions, allegedly showed that he was unworthy of this nobility. This is followed by a series of insulting phrases about himself, as well as about another Belarusian volunteer — Aliaksandr "Gérard" Krasouski, who is currently in a pre-trial detention center in Ukraine.

The tone of the video is so humiliating, and the wording is so unlike Lakhvich's usual public communication, that the veteran and volunteer community immediately said: this is the result of pressure. And they began to look for the instigator.

Who is Lakhvich

Aliaksandr "Lakhvich" Navkovich is one of the recognizable Belarusian volunteers in Ukraine, a former soldier of the "Litvin" Battalion of the Kalinouski Regiment.

He regularly appeared in the public space as a blogger, volunteer, and participant in political discussions. He commented on the war, the Belarusian opposition, the Coordination Council, the prospects for the liberation of Belarus, and the role of volunteers in future changes. In his interviews and videos, Lakhvich often spoke about Belarusian history, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL), national dignity, and the noble code of conduct.

In 2024, Navkovich was elected to the Coordination Council. He belonged to the wing of volunteers who regularly criticized Belarusian democratic forces for the lack of a clear force strategy and for being detached from people with weapons.

What they say in the volunteer community

Fighters of the Kalinouski Regiment claim that after the video appeared, Lakhvich did not answer calls from his comrades-in-arms. Later, he was found, and he is "all good." He refuses to publicly comment on the situation.

Our interlocutor from among the fighters believes that, judging by the style of humiliation, Radzivon "Gena" Batulin — the former commander of the "Terror" battalion — might be behind the video. Such a guess was also expressed in the comments to the video on Facebook.

The interlocutor explains his version by stating that, according to him, Batulin had previously forced individual fighters to shave their mustaches because they were allegedly "not gentry." Furthermore, it was from Batulin's circle that the harshest accusations against Gérard had recently come.

The appearance of the video was preceded by a conflict: allegedly, the day before, Lakhvich published a video in which he criticized Batulin. The essence of that criticism was that "if others are fighting, and you go to Odesa to seize volunteer aid from peaceful people — that is not noble," and also that "if Gérard is imprisoned and cannot respond to rumors — that is also not noble."

According to the interlocutors, it was precisely this public criticism that caused a sharp reaction among people close to Batulin. After this, comments began to appear on social networks, where Lakhvich's words were called offensive and unacceptable.

Who is Radzivon Batulin

Radzivon "Gena" Batulin is a figure with a long and conflict-ridden history in the Belarusian volunteer movement. He was one of the public representatives of the "Terror" battalion, and later became one of the founders of the Belarusian Volunteer Corps (BDK) together with Ihar "Yankee" Yankov and Andrei "Immortal" Tratsievsky. It was these three who recorded a video address in December 2022 about the creation of a new Belarusian military formation in Ukraine.

At the same time, "Terror" itself was born within the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, but by the summer of 2022, it had left its composition after an internal conflict. After that, the unit operated separately, and then joined the BDK.

Batulin's connection to ultraright circles is known. Even before the full-scale war, he was close to Siarhei "Boatsman" Karotkikh.

In interviews and speeches, Batulin often uses lexicon about "new gentry," nationalism, the elitism of warriors, and a special code of honor.

• 6
• 2
• 10
• 52
• 4
• 2
• 10
• 1