Two Belarusians caught in Kosovo after illegally crossing from Albania through the mountains
They were held behind bars for three months. A Russian with a fake passport and an Albanian guide were with them.
A court in Prizren, Kosovo, found two citizens of Belarus — Aliaksandr Padhaiski and Pavel Piatrou — as well as Russian Dzmitry Kirylin guilty of illegally crossing the border of Kosovo.
Padhaiski is a builder from Miadzel, who lived in Minsk. Piatrou is from Mahiliou, with higher education, worked as a builder in Moscow.
On the morning of February 10, 2026, they crossed from Albania into Kosovo via mountain paths, bypassing the official checkpoint. An Albanian was waiting for them on the Kosovar side in a car, having previously explained the route through the mountains.
They even managed to drive about 60 kilometers from the border and were approaching the center of the country when the car was stopped by a road patrol. None of the three passengers had documents for entry and stay in Kosovo.
Kirylin, who introduced himself as a mountaineer from Moscow, had another problem: his Russian passport was partially forged.
All four spent almost three months in pre-trial detention — from February 10 until the day of the verdict, May 6, 2026.
In court, all pleaded guilty. The defendants assured that they did not want to harm Kosovo, and crossed the border "to return home," and promised not to violate the law again. The judge sentenced each to 86 days in prison — exactly as much as they had already served. The Russian will additionally pay 2000 euros for the fake passport.
After the verdict, Padhaiski, Piatrou, and Kirylin were to be deported: to be delivered to the border with Serbia, as that was where they had last been legally located.
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