Photo of missing Belarusian opposition spokesperson Anzhalika Melnikava published from Minsk gym on anniversary of her disappearance

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Anzhalika Melnikava, who served as the spokesperson for the Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council before disappearing from Poland in March of last year, can be seen in photographs taken at a gym in Minsk. The images were posted to Instagram stories by fitness trainer Galina Kazantseva on March 16. On March 18, screenshots of the stories were sent to the bot of the Ukrainian Telegram channel BalaganOFF. Journalists from The Insider and Euroradio Belarus/Poland reviewed the images.

Several people familiar with Melnikava confirmed that she is the person shown in the photographs. Visible on her left arm is a that she got while living in Warsaw, indicating that the images are recent. The photos also show that Melnikava has cut her hair to about half its previous length.

The Insider reached the fitness center by phone and confirmed that the trainer who posted the photos exists, but she refused to speak directly. An unidentified man who answered her number identified himself as Eduard but declined to answer questions or to provide assistance contacting Melnikava.

As The Insider previously reported, Anzhalika Melnikava disappeared from her home in Warsaw shortly after being elected speaker of the Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council. She had lived in Poland since 2021. While in exile, she divorced her husband.

After leaving Poland, Melnikava spent several days in London, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates before returning to Belarus. At the same time, she transferred a large sum of money from the accounts of the Białoruś Liberty foundation, which had received grants to support the work of the Coordination Council.

The Insider found that Melnikava had been in a relationship with Belarusian intelligence officer Alexei Lobeev since at least 2023. Lobeev was using a cover passport in the name of “Aliaksei Hardzeyeu” (or “Alexei Gordeev” in the Russian transliteration).

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