LONDON — Supporters of a Belarusian opposition activist who disappeared last year have called on the United States and other international partners to investigate his case following a report alleging he was detained by Russian authorities after vanishing during a trip to Turkey, according to letters reviewed by Reuters and statements from activists.
The appeals concern Anatol Kotau, a Belarusian opposition figure living in exile in Poland, who disappeared in August 2025 after traveling to Turkey. According to supporters and family members, Kotau stopped responding to messages shortly after arriving in the country. A recent journalistic investigation by Deutsche Welle, the Belarusian Investigative Center and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reported that Kotau boarded a yacht in the Turkish city of Trabzon and was later removed from the vessel after it was intercepted in the Black Sea by Russian coast guard authorities.
Details surrounding the incident remain unclear. The investigation cited by activists reported that Kotau was traveling with several other passengers and crew members when the vessel was intercepted. The reasons for his trip to Turkey and his decision to board the yacht have not been publicly established.
Dmitry Bolkunets, an exiled Belarusian activist and head of the Belarus Democratic Forum, has written to U.S. National Security Adviser Andy Baker requesting assistance in determining Kotau’s whereabouts, Reuters reported. Similar appeals have been sent to Polish authorities, the European Union and the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
“The facts presented indicate that this was not a random event, but the result of a meticulously planned special operation,” Bolkunets wrote in a letter reviewed by Reuters. He alleged that Russian security services were involved in what he described as an abduction.
Reuters reported that it sought comment from the Russian Embassy in London regarding allegations of Russian involvement. No response was reported in the Reuters account.
Kotau, a former sports administrator, had been sentenced in absentia in Belarus on charges including extremist activity and conspiracy to seize power, accusations he denied, according to Reuters. Belarus remains a close ally of Russia, and rights groups have frequently raised concerns about the treatment of opposition figures and political prisoners in the country.
Anastasia Kotau, the activist’s wife, told Reuters that she hoped the appeals would prompt further inquiries by U.S. and Polish authorities. As of Monday, Kotau’s whereabouts had not been publicly confirmed, and no official investigation results had been announced. Details regarding his condition and location remain unclear.
