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Who is Dmitry Skindzerau, who declared war on Tsikhanouskaya? Cooperation with GUBOP, debts in Belarus, debts in Lithuania

5.04.2026 / 18:51

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Nashaniva.com

Some little-known Belarusian simply rushed with his fists at Tsikhanouskaya's advisor right in the center of Vilnius. He then appeared before TV cameras at a meeting with released political prisoners to accuse Tsikhanouskaya of working for the KGB. Propaganda rejoices! But a detailed study of the biography of bankrupt entrepreneur Dmitry Skindzerau gives a clear answer as to why he behaves this way.

Dmitry Skindzerau. Photo: Dmitry Kozlov, Facebook

Portrait #1. In his own words

In the first part of this essay, we will describe the scope of Dmitry Skindzerau's figure (and his achievements) only in his own words. True, it must be understood that almost everything he said is a lie.

47-year-old Dmitry Skindzerau, a native of Orlova village, Vitebsk region, never talks about his early years. He counts his life from the age of 27, when, according to him, he became a major Vitebsk entrepreneur.

Skindzerau describes himself as a man from the provinces who — emphatically — made himself, developed without state support or connections. And he would have quietly continued to develop if he had not become a victim of nepotism and corruption.

Skindzerau says his first business was selling flowers. Then he created an advertising company ("one of the largest in Vitebsk"). He moved into real estate and development, owned "one of the largest gas stations in Belarus", launched the production of bio-fertilizers ("no analogues in the republic") and a metal rolling business ("one of the largest companies in Belarus"), "the best restaurant in Vitebsk", and made the reconstruction of the former "House of Services" into the "most modern in Vitebsk" Metro Park shopping center, which he bought from other investors after almost 10 years of negotiations, his main life project.

In total, he has been in business for over 20 years, opened about ten enterprises, and created hundreds of jobs. He organized MMA tournaments in Vitebsk ("opened the only club in Vitebsk"), bringing in fighters from abroad ("all with personal sponsorship"), and restored monuments from the Soviet era. "One of Vitebsk's largest taxpayers," Skindzerau calls himself.

The Vitebsk entrepreneur first appeared in public in the spring of 2020. He proactively approached Sergei Tsikhanouski, who was then traveling around the country collecting people's stories. Skindzerau paid for his gasoline to travel from Homel to Vitebsk to tell his story live on air.

Dmitry Skindzerau and Sergei Tsikhanouski in 2020. Screenshot from video

The story was about how he, a famous Vitebsk businessman, for years could not achieve justice in court — allegedly, his former business partner, previously convicted Oleg Pakhomenko (Skindzerau omits that he himself had previously served time) through document fraud bankrupted their joint firm and kept the money for himself.

Skindzerau even claimed that Tsikhanouski "persuaded him to run for president with guaranteed informational support." But he modestly refused.

Skindzerau recorded several videos independently as well.

In his criticism of officials, Skindzerau emphasized that he had nothing against institutions, but only against specific individuals seemingly responsible for his failures in court — namely, the Vitebsk prosecutor, the head of the Vitebsk KGB, and the head of the legal department of Lukashenka's Administration.

This drew fire upon him, and, he claims, they decided to frame him (who exactly is unknown) as an oppositionist.

Unknown individuals with Russian license plates allegedly came to him and offered a million dollars to carry out a coup in the republic. Skindzerau did not take the money but informed Tsikhanouski, who laughed at the offer. But, if you recall, after his arrest, propaganda stated that a million dollars was also found in his couch. According to Skindzerau, these could have been the same people.

Sergei Tsikhanouski in 2020. Photo: Nasha Niva

After Tsikhanouski's arrest, Skindzerau began to call himself his friend. On the day the Tsikhanouskaya-Kalesnikava-Tsapkala trio arrived in Vitebsk, Skindzerau invited them to his restaurant and presented flowers, inviting Tsikhanouskaya to spend the night at his house. After this, he claims, he began to have additional problems with law enforcement, who started "squeezing his business."

At the same time, he did not deny Tsikhanouskaya attention, and even "advised her on how to conduct herself on stage."

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya after submitting documents to the Central Election Commission, May 2020. Photo: Nasha Niva

Skindzerau did not participate in the protests. But he attended post-election roundtables organized by the authorities and spoke there.

At that time, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, deported from Belarus, began organizing a political struggle from Vilnius.

"Sviatlana called me, saying: 'Come, Dima, help.' I said, Sviatlana, if you need any help, call. She called me when I was in Belarus. Then she started telling me terrible things and: 'Come, come, come.' I went there at her direct request," Skindzerau described the prerequisites for his departure from Belarus.

Simultaneously, Skindzerau claims, the KGB was collecting materials on him and preparing for his arrest. So he made a clever move: he spent the New Year holidays at home, because, he claims, law enforcement doesn't work on weekends, and he flew abroad on January 7, 2021.

"And on January 8, they [the authorities] were desperate [looking for me]: 'Dima, we need to meet for coffee,' 'He left on the 7th, and by the 8th, all of Vitebsk was looking for him'," he described the circumstances of his departure.

"I came to the headquarters at Tsikhanouskaya's request," Skindzerau repeats.

In emigration, Skindzerau, according to him, "began to set up the work of the [Tsikhanouskaya's] Office. And at the same time financially supported 'Radio 97'."

But then nuances began to appear.

At Tsikhanouskaya's headquarters, according to Skindzerau, he met many people he didn't understand, whom he generalized with the words "children" and "professional grant-eaters."

His own ideas were allegedly blocked by Franak Viachorka and Alexander Dabravolski, as well as other people around Tsikhanouskaya, who would have been happy to listen to Skindzerau if not for the influence of her advisors.

Skindzerau's managerial skills ultimately were not needed, and he himself left the prototype of the headquarters, gave up, and engaged in what he could do in any country – earning money. He opened companies in Lithuania and Poland.

But his resentment towards Tsikhanouskaya remained, because allegedly at her will, he found himself in emigration, lost everything in Belarus, and cannot see his family, and his nephew became a bargaining chip in political games and was imprisoned in Belarus to put pressure on Skindzerau abroad.

Therefore, according to him, "parallel to doing business in the EU," Skindzerau became active in the Forum of Democratic Forces — an organization of Tsikhanouskaya's critics, which included Olga Karach, Anatol Kotau, whose traces would disappear on a yacht in Turkish Trabzon, Dmitry Balkunets, Valery Tsapkala.

Skindzerau presented himself as a "patron" and "friend of Sergei Tsikhanouski."

Skindzerau sought money from European funds for the creation of "the only truly independent media," which would take into account the entire spectrum of political opinions.

"I found out when I myself tried to secure funding... to create a truly independent media, to allow all sides to defend their positions: both 'yabatski' and us, 'bchbniki.' This turned out to be a big problem. Getting money turned out to be a big problem," he complained at one of the "Forum of Democratic Forces" roundtables.

Ultimately, it all came down to infrequent interviews with his comrades, in which Skindzerau questioned Tsikhanouskaya's legitimacy. The man began to be forgotten.

But in recent months, Skindzerau sharply intensified his activities.

"Scarecrow, when are we going home? I am Belarusian. I am wanted by Interpol, I have 12 criminal cases. When are we going home? How much money have you laundered? What's your share? Now I'm going to punch you," he attacked Tsikhanouskaya's advisor Dzianis Kuchynski in a Vilnius cafe on January 26, 2026, filming everything on video.

The video became a find for Minsk propaganda. Two days later, Skindzerau started a TikTok account where he began publishing pro-Lukashenka and anti-opposition videos with loud headlines.

"You scumbag," "Dictatorship," "Blue fingers," "Traitors" — these headlines were not about whom you thought, but about Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Dmitry Skindzerau's stream at the end of January 2026 was forcibly distributed by hundreds of state media and channels. He is called "Tsikhanouski's moneybag," although there are no facts to support this. Screenshot from the Telegram channel "Yellow Plums," whose post was reposted by other official resources

Today, Skindzerau's main theses, which he repeats – most recently in a stream with Sergei Petrukhin – are as follows:

Skindzerau even claims that "it's not Lukashenka who puts us [Belarusians] in prison, but Tsikhanouskaya."

Skindzerau also wrote several appeals to the Polish and Lithuanian prosecutor's offices with a request to verify the legality of the New Belarus passport.

In March, the man also started a Telegram channel, in which he plans to "cover world political news, share his opinion on events, and also talk about the activities of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office."

He also attended the meeting of the last group of deported political prisoners in Vilnius, during which he obtrusively pestered Dzianis Kuchynski and on camera accused the opposition according to the theses listed above. After the police were called for the provocateur, Skindzerau disappeared without waiting for their arrival or for the freed political prisoners themselves.

Portrait #2. Fact-checking

Dmitry Skindzerau says: "I," "Me," "Mine," "My," but never talks about the sources of his supposedly existing capital, nor about his family. And this is unfair.

Dmitry Skindzerau was born into the family of Leanid and Natallia Skindzerau.

Leanid and Natallia Skindzerau

Natallia Skindzerava worked at the Vitebsk Regional Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology until 2016, and then took over administrative affairs in her husband's companies.

And Skindzerau's father is a truly extraordinary personality. In the basement of his house, he has a workshop where he repairs and assembles equipment. He converted an old "Ikarus" into a mobile cafe, restored a KrAZ, and assembled a tractor.

Although he is already in his seventies, he, at least until recently, cultivated 35 acres of land, kept pigs, chickens, geese, goats. Even a donkey!

In addition, Leanid Skindzerau is a patriot of the Soviet heritage — he restores sculptures from his childhood and erects memorials at the battle sites of World War II.

Leanid Skindzerau with a tractor he assembled himself. Photo: vivesti.by

Leanid started working as an excavator operator at "Vityaz" during Soviet times, and rose to become the chief engineer of a greenhouse complex. In 1994, he left state employment, sold a "Zhiguli" in Poland, and started engaging in commerce: reselling, assembling, finishing construction. Since 1994, he has had an individual entrepreneurship, with the activity being equipment rental.

Leanid's son, Dmitry Skindzerau, although he grew up with an entrepreneurial father, chose a different path.

Dmitry Skindzerau with his mother in France, 2025

"In the 90s, half of Orlova village went into crime. Dimka didn't want to be left behind. He had a neighbor, Vadim Kyrnyala, a boxer. Dima wanted to be like him, kept asking everywhere, and eventually got what he asked for — they put him in jail. But Kyrnyala wasn't jailed, Kyrnyala went to France," a person familiar with Dmitry Skindzerau's youth told "Nasha Niva."

Vadim Kyrnyala in his youth, far right. Second from left is Alexey Ignashov. Photo: Facebook

Dmitry Skindzerau explains that he "was jailed for nothing" when operatives demanded testimony from him against some unnamed friends, which he refused to do. Kyrnyala briefly explained to "Nasha Niva": "We covered for each other."

Belpol databases confirm that in 2002, Dmitry Skindzerau was convicted under Part 3 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code (extortion as part of an organized group, or with grave consequences, or on a large scale). He received five years in a penal colony with confiscation of property.

"In prison, his nickname was 'Fatty'. He cooperated a bit (with the administration — NN), so he got out quickly," claims another interlocutor who encountered Skindzerau.

Skindzerau was covered by two amnesties, and in July 2004, his sentence was commuted to correctional labor. Instead of five years in a penal colony, he served less than two.

While Skindzerau was serving his sentence, Vadim Kyrnyala's fate took a sharp turn. The young man joined the French Foreign Legion, was wounded during Operation Licorne in Côte d'Ivoire in 2003. This practically meant a passport for spilled blood.

Wounded Vadim Kyrnyala. Photo from social networks

For this injury, he soon received a French passport and monetary compensation from the state. He did not return to Belarus, settled in France, and opened a security agency. Once on his feet, he began to invest in Belarus.

Soon after his release, in 2006, Dmitry Skindzerau opened an individual entrepreneurship. In 2007, he got married. There is no information in databases about him having a higher education. Dmitry lived and operated with his father, using the same legal address as his father.

And Leanid himself, while his son was incarcerated, was engaged in small local business. But suddenly, a prospect opened up.

In 2007, Leanid Skindzerau became a co-shareholder of OAO "Bellenmet." The enterprise was engaged in the production of building metal structures. Leanid Skindzerau started with a 40% share, which was later reduced to 30%.

The second co-founder is Russian citizen Nikolay Klimenko (1961). A native of Viroŭlia village, Haradok district, Vitebsk region. And a rich relative of the Skindzerau family.

Nikolay Klimenko and Skindzerau's wife Alesya (née Shnarkevich)

A military pensioner, after retiring, Klimenko engaged in wholesale trade of metal fences in Russia. The joint enterprise with Leanid Skindzerau-senior was supposed to produce fences. But "Bellenmet" did not take off.

In 2009-2010, the enterprise spent time in courts, collecting debts, and soon virtually ceased operations.

At the same time, Klimenko opened a similar production in Russia, OOO "Zavod Lenkom". Things went well there, and the partners tried again.

At the end of 2011, OOO "Zavod BelLenKom" was opened in Vitebsk. Essentially, it was a workshop for producing quick-install metal fences and a point of sale for products along with installation services.

Half belonged to Leanid Skindzerau, and half to Dmitry Skindzerau's wife, Alesya Shnarkevich. Later, Klimenko would repeatedly become the main investor in Alesya's businesses.

But "BelLenKom" also failed.

"I met my retirement age as the director of a firm employing 40 people, with a lot of construction equipment. True, due to economic crises, we had to close down. But I'm still not idle — as an entrepreneur, I work with my equipment on orders," Leanid Skindzerau told the district newspaper about his enterprise's trajectory in 2018.

As for Skindzerau-son, in these years he was actively searching for himself with Klimenko's money. We can accurately trace this search history in business databases. Skindzerau participated in a huge number of businesses, but almost everywhere — very little.

Sponsorship of MMA competitions in Vitebsk — which Skindzerau claims for himself — was actually handled by former boxer Vadim Kyrnyala. The tournament pages for "All or Nothing" are full of thanks to Kyrnyala, but "the famous patron" Skindzerau is not mentioned once

For example, OOO "Kontri," which Dmitry calls "his advertising company, second only to Minsk" — is actually Klimenko's investment in Vitebsk advertiser Alexander Artamonov. In 2008, Klimenko gave Artamonov money and received a 75% share, Artamonov owned 25%.

In 2013, Klimenko brought Dmitry Skindzerau into the share, making him a minority shareholder with 16%. This is the first recorded instance of Dmitry Skindzerau's participation as a shareholder in any business. But this company also did not become successful and went into liquidation.

Cafe "Melange" in Vitebsk

"His," in Skindzerau's words, cafe "Melange" (OAO "Shakolad") in Vitebsk was actually 40% owned by Klimenko, 10% by Alesya Shnarkevich, and the rest by a third party.

The majority shareholder of OOO "RosBelKontrakt" (the "Shagal" restaurant, where Skindzerau hosted Tsikhanouskaya) was actually Vadim Kyrnyala's mother. She sold this company in October 2020.

Starting in 2007, Nikolay Klimenko actively invested in Belarus, not only with Leanid Skindzerau. He also became interested in the gas station business, finding a partner, Oleg Pakhomenko.

Pakhomenko was connected with people who owned an unfinished gas station in the Smalyavichy district, but lacked money to complete it. Pakhomenko was the contractor for the construction of this gas station, so he had a direct interest in seeing it finished.

As a result, Pakhomenko and Klimenko became 50/50 owners of OOO "Aeros". Pakhomenko guaranteed the buyout, agreeing with the previous owner that he would pay him once the gas station was put into operation and started making money. The previous owner agreed. Klimenko provided additional funding for the construction.

At the same time, Skindzerau introduced his relative's new partner to Vadim Kyrnyala to build — from scratch — another gas station near Brest.

Pakhomenko agreed. There was also a troubled company there, OOO "Shelf", which Pakhomenko bought half-and-half with Kyrnyala.

These projects resulted only in scandal. The partners fell out literally two years later, the gas station near Brest was never built, and the gas station in Smalyavichy district was taken by Pakhomenko to cover fuel debts.

Skindzerau owned a minority share in OAO "Shelf". But all "Shelf" owned was a plot of land near Brest, where a gas station was never built

A huge amount of data on this case is publicly availablehere, published by Pakhomenko, who sought to prove that Skindzerau was lying.

Here are quotes from the documents.

"The construction [of the "Shelf" gas station near Brest] was carried out using funds provided by Kyrnyala to Pakhomenko. The latter gave Pakhomenko $300,000. [...] Pakhomenko also invested money in the gas station's construction. In total, he spent 2 billion [undenominated] rubles on the construction," — from Skindzerau's testimony during a face-to-face confrontation with Pakhomenko.

"Pakhomenko explained that about $200,000 was needed for the construction of the [Aeros] gas station in Smalyavichy district. We agreed that I would give him this amount, and he would build the gas station with this money," — from Klimenko's testimony during a face-to-face confrontation with Pakhomenko.

It is also known that during some period of the partners' disputes, Pakhomenko was held in a pre-trial detention center. And at this time — according to Pakhomenko's wife's statement — Skindzerau extorted money from her, which he allegedly had also given to her husband.

It is now difficult to say who wanted to trick whom and who did trick whom among these bosom buddies. But another point is noteworthy.

In 2020, Skindzerau proactively reported his football team partner to GUBOP, who, either in jest or in earnest, suggested killing Pakhomenko to solve the problem.

"I went to the Minsk GUBOP, said that I was offered to kill a man... 'Please, let's work on this, it will be very interesting!' They told me: 'Record it on a voice recorder.' But considering that I had never done this, I somewhat exposed myself when recording the conversation. He realized something was wrong and said 'okay, okay... let's not do it now, let's do it later.' And the person backed out," Skindzerau recounted on his YouTube channel.

When things didn't work out with GUBOP, Skindzerau started writing to the KGB. According to him, he addressed a long letter to Valery Vakulchyk, who was then the chairman of the KGB.

And generally, these are not strangers to Skindzerau.

"In the airborne troops, as the best driver of the brigade, I was transferred to a special department — which is the KGB. Through this, I know many other decent employees," he admitted.

Another, in Skindzerau's words, large project — the never-completed Metro Park shopping center in Vitebsk.

In reality, behind this project, through OOO "Vitebsky Dvor," stood the former head of the Russian State Circus, Vadim Gagloev, and Vitebsk chanson singer Ilya Smunyov. They won the auction for the reconstruction of the former House of Services in 2007.

Skindzerau's father was a contractor on this project, and he was not paid. Then the state seized the building from Gagloev, and Leanid Skindzerau joined the development company (in 2019) as a minority shareholder in hopes of thus completing it and recovering his debt. The other two shareholders were Mikhail Martynovich and the majority shareholder Evgeny Zhukovsky.

The construction was not completed, the shopping center has not been commissioned to this day. However, Dmitry Skindzerau was never among the shareholders.

An interesting fact, though most likely a mere coincidence: Leanid Skindzerau's partner in OOO "Vitebsky Dvor," Evgeny Zhukovsky, is a business partner of Ruslan Petrov, the son of Kurmanbek Bakiev, who adopted a different surname. Together, they are beneficiaries in other companies.

And Vyachaslau Yapishka (pictured right) from Tsapkala's Forum of Democratic Forces last year offered Tsikhanouski someone's 200,000 euros. Before leaving the country, he worked as the director of the defunct company "Skaindbrestgroup," in which Dmitry Skindzerau was a minority shareholder. The company existed for a couple of years, supplied two hat racks to the Baranovichi social service center, and then went into liquidation.

Another co-owner of "Skaindbrestgroup," Vladimir Asedouski, owned a car that Ruslan Petrov, the same son of Bakiev, sold or gifted to him, and in turn, this car came to him from the commander of a GRU intelligence unit, Colonel Vladimir Popov, who was close to the mysteriously disappeared Anatol Kotau. The nature of Skindzerau-senior's ties with businessmen around Bakiev is unknown. But Skindzerau-junior was definitely acquainted with Yapishka even before 2020.

It is noteworthy that Zhukovsky was arrested in 2022-2023. Probably for economic reasons. He is now free.

The production of biohumus, which "has no analogues," according to Dmitry Skindzerau, is also an exaggeration. The company OOO "BioBelGroup" was opened in Nikolay Klimenko's native village, Viroŭlia, in 2016. The shareholders were 50/50 Vadim Kyrnyala's mother and Dmitry Skindzerau. Exactly two years later, the company passed to other people.

Thus, Dmitry Skindzerau is not at all the significant entrepreneur he presents himself to be.

Skindzerau also had an individual entrepreneurship. And by early 2020, Skindzerau was in terrible debt, owing about 400,000 rubles (almost $180,000 at the exchange rate at the time) just based on recorded enforcement proceedings.

Beginning of the long list of debts of individual entrepreneur Dmitry Skindzerau

Thus, by the time of the 2020 election campaign, Skindzerau was bankrupt, without stable sources of income. He lied to Tsikhanouski, talking about how everything was flourishing for him.

What he wanted to achieve with his appearances on the "Country for Life" channel, why he pushed his way in there — that's the question.

In any case, Skindzerau himself later recorded an unusual video address for that time titled "Who is preparing a coup in Belarus." A kind of repentance.

"Someone wanted to change the government and contacted me. I wrote a statement about this fact to the relevant structures and delivered it. I enclose a photo of what I delivered. Specifically, I was offered an armed overthrow of power, to create a Maidan here, as it was in Ukraine, to completely change the government in the Republic. I am not an oppositionist, I am not a politician [...]. All my attitude to politics is only as a voter who casts a ballot. I ask not to approach me anymore with questions of coups, conspiracies, anything that would be against the constitutional order of the Republic of Belarus [...]", Skindzerau read on camera, attaching a photo from a police office.

Skindzerau reappeared during the election campaign when the trio visited Vitebsk.

Vadim Kyrnyala, Maria Kalesnikava, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Veranika Tsapkala, and Dmitry Skindzerau against the backdrop of a monument in Orlova village, July 2020

After the falsified 2020 elections, Vadim Kyrnyala from France recorded an emotional video address to Interior Minister Karaev, in which he accused the Interior Ministry employees of "turning into Bandera punitive forces."

Skindzerau claims that he did not participate in the protests. Nevertheless, on November 1, 2020, Dmitry Skindzerau was added to the "Disorders" database as an "organizer and coordinator of protest actions" — possibly as a result of Pakhomenko's denunciations.

The next day, November 2, a check was initiated against Dmitry Skindzerau, according to the AIS "Passport" database, under Part 2 of Article 243 and Part 4 of Article 210 (tax evasion on a large scale, theft by abuse of official powers as part of a group or on a particularly large scale).

Protests in Belarus, August 2020. People blocking the road for a prison van. Photo: Nasha Niva

However, no criminal case was initiated as of summer 2021.

On November 28, 2020 (and not in January 2021, as he himself claims), Skindzerau, according to the "PassengerFlow" database, left Belarus for Lithuania.

In Vilnius, calling himself "Tsikhanouski's friend," he tried to join Tsikhanouskaya's team, which was just forming.

Skindzerau, as activists recall, came and spoke at meetings of what was then the future Office, volunteers of "Country for Life," "Bysol," and others, who were located at the same address in winter 2020.

Skindzerau did not hide his identity and did not go undercover.

"He proactively proposed many things. Mostly — nonsense. He behaved conflictually. One of his initiatives, for example, was to bring in the Russian Andrey Illarionov — former Putin's aide and a staunch critic of Zelensky — to the office. In general, he insisted that he was a successful businessman, so he should be entrusted with managing money and personnel," our interlocutor recalls.

His claims that he was "Tsikhanouski's friend" quickly ceased to be believed.

"Before leaving for Lithuania, I met him once, during the election campaign in Vitebsk, where he graciously hosted our trio. Before that, I didn't know him at all. He positioned himself as a good acquaintance of Tsikhanouski, and I had no way to verify it, as Sergei was already in prison. Already in Vilnius, he started coming to the office, actively wanting to participate in everything. He constantly called, tried to make friends, invited me home, saying, 'I'm Sergei's friend, after all'," Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told "Nasha Niva."

"Skindzerau? In my opinion, one of many, many people who once appeared on my channel," Sergei Tsikhanouski told "Nasha Niva."

On December 21, 2020, the General Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee opened additional criminal cases against Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Presidium of the Coordination Council for "calls to actions aimed at harming national security," as well as for "conspiracy to seize state power."

And three days after that, on December 24, 2020, Dmitry Skindzerau, according to the "PassengerFlow" database, returned from Vilnius to Belarus. There is no information, however, that Skindzerau was detained either as part of the previously initiated economic investigation or as part of the Tsikhanouskaya case, around which he revolved, although his activity there was not a secret, as other then-undisclosed provocateurs and agents — for example, Ilya Byagun and Artur Haiko — were also circling there.

On December 30, 2020, Skindzerau spoke at a meeting of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee.

Skindzerau's public version is that he left Belarus on January 7, 2021, and by January 8, 2021, "all of Vitebsk was looking for him." However, according to "PassengerFlow" data, Dmitry Skindzerau departed on a regular Minsk-Kyiv flight on January 15, 2021.

No one remembers the date of Skindzerau's second appearance in Vilnius. But it is known that by that time he was no longer allowed into Tsikhanouskaya's Office — even in those days of idealism and naivety, he began to arouse suspicion.

"He was going around then, begging for money for some crypto exchangers and asking to borrow money for living. As I understood, Kyrnyala rented him an apartment in Vilnius, but I didn't understand the nature of the relationship between them," an interlocutor told "Nasha Niva" who didn't know that Skindzerau had greatly helped and covered for Kyrnyala in his youth.

"Nasha Niva" found empty companies registered in Cyprus, in which Skindzerau is one of the shareholders. It was planned that crypto-exchangers in Lithuania would be registered under them, but no investor for the project was found.

In parallel, Skindzerau was also developing another topic — the monetization of emigrant media.

There was a period when anyone who produced even somewhat adequate content could find money to create content on a wave of enthusiasm.

"Skindzerau wanted to privatize 'Radio'97', which Maks Morrison was making. Recordings took place in the house Skindzerau rented, and he bought equipment — as it turned out later, not with his own money — and as a result, he wanted the legal entity to be re-registered to him. The team refused. Skindzerau went to court and won the case. But only in the part that the equipment worth 5 thousand euros should be returned to him," a witness to the events told us.

Then Skindzerau had a case with "Platforma 375," where Azaronak debated with Balkunets. This project was declared extremist in 2025, and its host, Kiryl Paznyak, who had been in Belarus all this time, was arrested, along with his 20-year-old daughter Yanina.

If crypto exchangers are not operating, how does Skindzerau live?

He himself says that he doesn't even need to learn languages, "he knows how and can earn money in any country, speaking Russian." In an interview with Petrukhin, Skindzerau said that he owned two companies in Poland and one company in Lithuania.

As for the companies in Poland, that's simply a lie. The register in that country is open — Skindzerau has no companies there.

But there is indeed a company in Lithuania. It is called UAB Bovaja, and its owners are Dmitry Skindzerau and Mikhail Martynovich (the same one who was a shareholder with Skindzerau's father in OAO "Vitebsky Dvor" during the construction of Metro Park).

The company was registered in the summer of 2021 and offers clients from the CIS to buy a car from Europe. Cars are offered from France. According to "Nasha Niva," this was Vadim Kyrnyala's last attempt to help his childhood friend.

However, the company chronically delays tax payments, has negative equity (minus 186 thousand euros), and generated losses every year of its operation — 213 thousand euros as of the end of 2024 (2025 financial statements have not yet been submitted). The company owes creditors 236 thousand euros, of which 111 thousand euros were due in 2025.

But it is unlikely that this happened — "Nasha Niva" sees in Lithuanian databases that two collection agencies recently showed interest in UAB Bovaja's statements.

In fact, Skindzerau repeated everything that happened in Belarus, where he had large debts.

And Dmitry Skindzerau's surge in public activity (already with false criticism of the opposition) coincided with the prospect of another bankruptcy.

Last time Skindzerau fled his debts to Lithuania, but where will he go now?

It is interesting that Skindzerau is in contact with the non-partisan Lithuanian MEP Petras Gražulis. On the day of the shouting at Dzianis Kuchynski in a Vilnius cafe, Skindzerau was there with Gražulis.

On the day of the meeting of the last group of political prisoners in Vilnius, Skindzerau was again there in the company of Petras Gražulis and left with him.

Petras Gražulis recently visited the Belarusian embassy in Belgium and stated that Lithuania should initiate negotiations with Lukashenka, and the European Parliament should push Lithuania to do so.

"Nasha Niva" asked Gražulis how he met Skindzerau and what connects them now.

"I can't remember how I met him," Gražulis replied. "You know, I know a lot of people. Maybe he himself could say? We just discuss different things. He is very dissatisfied with Tsikhanouskaya."

Gražulis also noted that some things about Skindzerau upset him.

"I noticed one thing. Yes, he criticizes Tsikhanouskaya. But he does not criticize Lukashenka, Putin. That somehow struck me. Why are you like that? Are you afraid or do you want criminal cases dropped?" Gražulis asks.

"I have nothing to do with what he is doing now," Vadim Kyrnyala told "Nasha Niva."

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