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The investigation spoke about the protracted search for the boy in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Collected together all versions of the disappearance of a boy in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

First-hand: impressions of the CenterSpas coordinator about the search operation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Updated)

26.09.2017 14:20

There is a lot of talk about the boy lost in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The search for Maxim Markhaluk from Novy Dvor, Svisloch district, continues for the twelfth day. Recently, guys from Lida returned from searching and spent more than one day in the Svisloch forests.

The Lidskaya Gazeta correspondent spoke with the coordinator of the TsentrSpas PSO, Alexey Zhol, who told how everything happens on the spot. Updated: search history from AvtoGrodno reader Egor.

- Alexey, when did you start participating in the operation?

You could say from the very beginning, on the second day. It was Sunday, September 17, we went to the Shchuchinsky district, the village of Dembrovo, where an old woman who had gone to pick mushrooms had disappeared. We had almost arrived at the place when a request was received to come in search of the child. We turned the car around and a couple of hours later we were in Novy Dvor. Already there, at headquarters, we were familiarized with the details of what happened.

- What exactly did they tell you about the boy’s disappearance?

On Saturday, September 16, Maxim went for a walk and bike ride around 6-7 pm. At some point, he left his friends, saying that he would go to the “headquarters” - a hut that the boys had built in the forest. The parents, without waiting for their son, already sounded the alarm at about 8-9 pm and contacted the police. From that moment the search began. The first thing they discovered was a hut, and next to it was Maksimka’s bicycle and someone’s basket with a small amount of mushrooms. The dogs were set on the fresh trail. There were two of them, and both of them from this place, having reached the village, returned to the forest road, then lost the trail. In addition, it turned out that the boy was seen by a mushroom picker from Minsk. He said that around this evening time he saw a boy run out onto the road, called out to him, but he ran even faster.

- Who could scare Maximka like that?

The first and main version that began to be worked out was that Maxim could have been scared by bison. Nearby, according to local residents, there live two large herds, one with about a hundred heads, the other with more than 30. As you know, in those days the weather was dry, there was little water in the canals, and the bison came out close to the village. It was a large herd of one hundred heads that was noticed by residents shortly before the boy’s disappearance. There is a possibility that Maxim, while in the hut, saw the bison, got scared and began to run in panic. Hearing the mushroom picker’s cry, in stress, I didn’t understand who was screaming and why. Further beyond the indicated road, which the dogs led to (on the other side), after a few kilometers a swampy area begins.

- When you arrived, were there many people involved in the search?

Yes, a lot, more than a thousand people. From everywhere. Minsk, Gomel, Brest, Mogilev, Grodno, Molodechno, Volkovysk. This is just what I remembered right away. I think there were volunteers from all over our country. We immediately began working in the allocated area, and other groups began working in theirs. They combed the forests and swamps. Almost all night. Monday is a working day, many volunteers were forced to leave, but the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs remained to work. I went back on Tuesday and worked with the Angels (search and rescue team). From the same day, the search engines organized duty: Tuesday - Lida, Minsk, Wednesday - Brest, Thursday - Soligorsk, Friday - Gomel. It was announced on Saturday general fee all search and rescue teams of Belarus.

- Is it true that volunteers were refused?

Is it true. But only because there were not enough coordinators - people capable of leading groups. There were a lot of people interested. But you need to understand that searching in a forest, especially a protected forest, where there is no logging and the area is swampy, is a very responsible job. Some experienced search engines got stuck up to their waists at times. And not all newcomers could withstand the load. The forest there is very heavy, there are a lot of swamps and rubble. Again, volunteers are different people. It is difficult to form a cohesive group. Some people allow themselves to pick mushrooms instead of work, others warm up with alcohol. And this happens, unfortunately. I would like to say that on the second day we managed to assemble an excellent group of 32 people. I will even note that this the best group of the volunteers throughout my participation in the search for people.

- Were they men or representatives of the “weaker sex” too?

Both men and women. Moreover, you are not weak at all (smiles). When we were almost finishing our square, there was an opportunity to send some of the people to the camp and, of course, the first thing we did was offer the women a rest. Not so! Every single one of them refused.

-Have you seen animals that could scare the boy?

We saw it. Bison, as well as wolf tracks. But by that time aviation had already begun to actively operate, and the animals, of course, went to other places. But, by the way, before leaving, on Sunday, we saw that large herd of bison, the animals were already coming out from the other side of the Pushcha.

It is not true! The food was organized very well. There were two field kitchens in operation, and I didn’t hear any complaints from anyone that they left us hungry or cold. Accommodation in the gym was arranged local school, and the villagers themselves came and offered accommodation in their houses, taking in everyone. For example, I, my group and others (there were 10 people in all) settled in big house from a local resident. In general, people are very responsive: some help with food, some with clothes, some with money (for example, for gasoline).

And there are really a lot of rumors around this story. Psychics have become more active, and from different countries. Some call and almost command in an orderly tone - where to go. I’ll say right away that not a single landmark indicated by psychics lived up to expectations. Moreover, I would add, this has never happened in all the time I have been involved in various searches. So whether to believe or not to “clairvoyants” is, of course, a personal matter, but it is better to believe in yourself and official information.

- I heard reproaches that there are not enough aviation and other technical means of search...

Not true again. Aviation, thermal imagers, drones, divers - everything was involved at once. I have never seen such a highly organized search operation. There are, of course, all sorts of fantastic versions: either a boy allegedly “deceives” thermal imagers by hiding in some wells, or, supposedly, some friend disappears for a while and supposedly brings him food. These versions are put forward without taking into account that it is a little boy, who is just about to turn 11 years old, and is neither Rambo nor Batman. Again along roads, villages and abandoned houses: all objects - farms, haystacks, villages, abandoned houses - have been worked out and combed “like a rake”; there are 24-hour checkpoints on exit roads. And all this was done not later, but immediately.

- How long will the rescue operation continue and have there been fewer people willing to search?

It will continue as long as possible until the result is achieved. My group and I are planning to go again in the second half of the week. The most impassable swamp areas remained, and in total, at the time of our departure, more than 20 square kilometers of area had been mined. There are always fewer people willing to search on weekdays, but, as far as I know, even now 300-400 people work there; on weekends the number of people will increase again.

Today, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into the disappearance of ten-year-old Maxim Markhaluk.

A criminal case has been opened into the disappearance on September 16 of a minor resident of the village of Novy Dvor, Svisloch district, Maxim Markhalyuk, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 167 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Belarus, says the press service of the Investigative Committee.

If within 10 days after the official statement the location of the missing person is not established, then Part 2 of Art. 167 of the Criminal Procedure Code allows you to decide to initiate a criminal case on the fact of an unknown disappearance.

To date, there is no evidence that the missing child in the Svisloch region became a victim of a crime.

While the entire public, people hope that the boy is still alive, that he is probably lost, waiting for help somewhere, it would even be immoral to initiate a murder case. Not to mention that it’s illegal,” said the head of the Investigative Committee, Ivan Noskevich.

The Investigative Committee does not guarantee that the child could not become a victim of a crime, but they would not want to get ahead of themselves.

As soon as new factual data appears that will allow us to judge the possible violent nature of the disappearance, we will immediately initiate an appropriate criminal case,” said the chairman of the Investigative Committee.

Ivan Noskevich reported that no new traces, except for a bicycle and a basket of mushrooms, have yet been found.

Yesterday, about 500 people worked on the site: volunteers, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, police, foresters and local residents. The search continued in the area of the village of Novy Dvor, near the town of Teraspol and in the forest adjacent to the main highway. The headquarters reported that the search engines had already reached the maximum distance that the child could overcome. Some areas are surveyed more than once.

Added 09/27/2017 9:20

The story of how exactly the work of volunteers is organized was told by AvtoGrodno user Egor and shared the video:

“I arrived at about 11 am. I was driving, as indicated, to the village council in Novy Dvor. There were a lot of people there, cars too, and the regions were very different, I noticed the car even from St. Petersburg. Having parked the car, I went to look for where the volunteers were recording. It was one of the tents. Entered your details and number mobile phone, began to wait for the group to form. Our group recruited 33 people. Immediately the guys from the Red Cross gave instructions on how to stay in the forest - everything is accessible and clear. Some members of the group tried to insert their “I”, but overall everything went well.

Our square was 15 km through the forest from the collection point. But by car, the detour on more or less passable roads was about 40 km. They gathered in a column and began to move. The people in our group were different and from different places: Minsk, Brest, Shchuchin, Grodno, etc. We got to the right square, but spent some time near the barrier at the entrance to the reserve while they received permission to enter.

We reached the point: people were counted, the bearing of the edge of the square was taken, the azimuth was set - and into battle.

Yes, I thought it was that simple. It turns out that for people without practice, keeping a column even at a distance of 5 meters from each other is very difficult. a big problem, and it's very annoying. Very. The patience of the guys from the Red Cross is something. They cannot say or order in a rude manner. And I just want to shout: “People, you didn’t come to pick mushrooms!” And look for a person!!! And girls... you're not out for a walk!"

A column of 33 people covers an average of 250 meters. The pace is slow, even very slow. You look at everything, where you can hide and what arouses suspicion. Then you wait for everyone to gather.

In the forest until 19:00 - then everyone needs to be taken out. Emergency Situations Ministry employees with thermal imagers begin work. At their signal, special teams with dogs are delivered. By the way, helicopters fly non-stop. But the forest is so huge, the fields are so large, there are a lot of irrigation canals, there are a lot of abandoned houses and corn fields are everywhere.

As I understand it, psychologists conducted conversations with the friends of the missing person. They say we don’t know anything. They communicate only in the presence of their parents. And again, rumors: either the grandmother heard the child cry, or someone saw it in the corn, or something else. By the way, in the crowd every now and then one could hear: “Give us his friends, we will beat out the truth.”

Many stayed overnight. Locals provide assistance with overnight accommodations, free of charge. At the headquarters they posted the telephone numbers of those who could accommodate us for the night. You call, ask and stay the night. They feed. But take it with you too. Before leaving, many people ask who needs to go home; if the paths coincide, they will give them a lift. We'll wait for news.

Thanks to everyone who cares!"

Added: on 09:00 27-09-2017 the boy was NOT found!

Rescuers urge you not to spread rumors, but to wait for an official statement from law enforcement! All actual information will be PUBLISHED on the resources

Local residents shared details about the missing boy.

Lost in the Pushcha Maxim Markhalyuk I thought about running away from home, and for a long time. Residents of the village of Novy Dvor talk about this, in the surrounding forests of which they have been searching for a 10-year-old boy for the second week.

Many in the village are sure: the child was not lost, but deliberately left home, writes belaruspartisan.org.

Why go into the forest at night?

“I saw Maxim in the village on Saturday. About five in the evening. I was in the forest before. I went out, and then Maxim was coming. I told him: “Don’t be afraid, Maxim, Rex doesn’t bite.” And he said, “I and I’m not afraid,” says Valentina Aleksandrovna, a resident of Novy Dvor; Maxim was friends with her son and often came to visit them.

According to the villager, her friend said that on the same day, but after 7 pm, she saw Maxim riding in the center of the village. And then he disappeared into the ground, everyone said that he had gone into the forest. But the woman is sure that going into the forest so late is not like Maxim. After all, at eight o'clock in the evening at this time of year it is already dark, and the boy would not want to go into the darkness.

“He was such a little cowardly. He was even afraid of my puppy. When he came to us, he usually stood near the gate and called: “Ilyusha!” or “Aunt Valya!” And I’ll go out and take him into the house. And to the forest It’s unlikely for him to go at night,” adds Valentina Aleksandrovna.

Many in the village agree that if the child had been in the forest that evening, he would have been found. After all, the search began immediately and continued even at night. And a child wandering through the forest at night could not get far.

I've been planning my escape for three years.

The villagers assume that the boy might have been very frightened of something. And not bison, but, for example, impending punishment for some offense. “Maybe he was scared of his parents?” - the neighbors reason and tell one telling example.

Last year, for some reason, Maxim went to the lake alone, without his parents, went for a swim and almost drowned. He was saved by people vacationing nearby. That day his parents punished him very much, they say they even beat him.

They say that then the boy, either seriously or out of resentment, told his parents: “I won’t live with you and will run away anyway. Don’t buy me anything, everything will be for Sasha (elder brother).”

In the village they also relay the words of Maxim’s own grandmother, who told how her grandson several years ago, when he was 7 or 8 years old, said: “I’ll run away from home anyway.” Grandmother to him: “They will find you.” And he: “They won’t find me, I’ll go into the swamps.” And then he periodically said that he had such a plan.

Another resident of Novy Dvor, Tatyana Petrovna, said that the child was in Lately changed.

“Maxim has been friends with my grandson since he was five years old. We are always together when he is on vacation. And this year the grandson said that he would no longer be friends. That Maxim started smoking and behaved differently. Maybe it’s a teenage thing. I regret it.” “I didn’t tell my parents right away; my grandson really asked me not to tell anyone,” the villager recalls.

At the same time, the woman emphasizes several times that Maxim’s family is very positive, prosperous, and his parents are hardworking.

I could have left

The main version that residents of Novy Dvor tend to believe is that Maxim left for another area, and did so the same evening or the next morning.

The child most likely had money. Even local children say that it is very easy to earn money in the Pushcha. For example, you can sell berries or mushrooms.

And everyone characterizes Maxim as a very lively and purposeful boy. They say that he often went to the forest.

Tatyana Petrovna reasons: “We searched so many times with thermal imagers, walked with dogs, and so many people passed through the forest over the weekend. Ours are constantly walking. If the boy had been here, we would have found at least some traces.”

Rumors that the different time they saw a child either in the forest or on the road, the neighbors think it’s just fiction. And they immediately ask: “If they saw a child, why didn’t they catch up? They’re adults. But it turns out that they saw and allowed him to leave.”

Many locals constantly go into the forest on their own to look for Maxim.

“My soul aches for the boy and for the family. We also don’t sleep at night. Every day, both day and evening, I go to the forest, calling him. Now I’m going too, maybe I’ll find something,” adds Valentina Aleksandrovna.

Let us remind you that Maxim Markhalyuk disappeared on September 16 and was put on a nationwide wanted list. On September 26, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into the disappearance of the child. Maxim has still not been found. The main version of the police is that the boy got lost in the forest.

They have been searching for 11 days for 10-year-old Maxim Markhaluk, who disappeared in Novy Dvor, Svisloch district.

As before, no traces of Maxim Markhaluk have been identified. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case today under Part 2 of Art. 167 Code of Criminal Procedure. Svoboda has collected 10 main facts about the disappearance of a 10-year-old child:

1. Circumstances of disappearance

The first reports of the disappearance of Maxim Markhaluk appeared on September 18. The report said that the mother of a 10-year-old boy contacted the police and reported that at about 20.00 on the evening of September 16, he rode a bicycle towards the forest near his village and disappeared. Already at 22:00 on the same day, parents, fellow villagers, police officers and the Ministry of Emergency Situations began looking for Maxim. In the forest they found a boy's bicycle, a bag of mushrooms, but no more traces.

2. Where does it happen?

All events take place in the village of Novy Dvor, Svisloch district, on the outskirts of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The village council said that the Markhalyuks’ house was located on the outskirts of the village, next to the forest. About 500 meters from the house in the forest, a hut was built where the Markhaluks dry mushrooms.

Already on Monday, September 18, not only police officers and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, but also teachers from his school, high school students, residents of Novy Dvor and surrounding villages, and volunteers from different cities of Belarus came to search for Maxim.

3. About Markhalyukov

Maxim Markhaluk is 10 years old. According to the police report, he appears to be 8-9 years old, was wearing blue sweatpants, a brown hooded sweater, and a cherry colored sleeveless vest.

Mother Valentina Nikolaevna works as a technician at a school, father Valery Nikolaevich is a worker at a local agricultural enterprise.

Valentina told reporters that they walked around the entire neighborhood day and night in search of Maxim, examined swamps and abandoned houses, combed the forest, but to no avail. Maxim's older brother Sasha (has already graduated military school) said that his brother warned him: he would only walk along the edge of the forest and return home. He also says that Maxim did not go far alone, that he did not quarrel with anyone that day. According to Sasha, his brother could have been afraid of a herd of bison - where Maxim left his bicycle and basket, there were many bison tracks.

In the first days after the boy disappeared, the parents turned to fortune tellers and psychics - they allegedly said that the boy was alive.

4. Search headquarters version

10 days after the disappearance of Maxim Markhaluk, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 167 Code of Criminal Procedure.

The article decides to start a case if within 10 days from filing a complaint about the disappearance of a person it was not possible to locate his whereabouts.

Previously, investigators saw no grounds for a criminal case. They said there was no reason to believe the boy was the victim of a crime.

The main version, which the search headquarters followed for ten days, was that the boy got lost in the forest.

The forest area is divided into squares, each of them is checked. The headquarters says that the searchers covered the maximum distance that the boy could cover during this time. Helicopters and drones with thermal imaging are still involved in the search. The search continues.

5. The main danger in Pushcha

According to the coordinator of the “Angel” squad, Kristina Basova, who twice went to Novy Dvor to look for Maxim, the most dangerous things for the boy are wild animals, impassable swamps and the weather itself.

“During these days we met bison, a wolf, wild boars, and a roe deer,” says Christina. - It was rainy, damp and frosty this week. This is all very difficult even for a trained adult.”

6. What people say

Locals claim that the boy was prepared and could not have disappeared into the forest so easily. Many of the townspeople believe that the bison could have scared him, and assume that he is simply hiding there.

True, the same locals add that such cases have never happened in their village before. They say that the village children know well where to go and where not to go. They say about Maxim that with strangers he wouldn’t go anywhere, much less go anywhere.

7. Large-scale search operation

The search operation for Maxim was called the largest in Belarus.

A week after Maxim’s disappearance, a gathering of all search and rescue teams was announced in Belarus. Last weekend, several thousand people took part in the search for the boy. In addition to police officers, military personnel, border guards, police officers, and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, people from all over Belarus, volunteers from the Smolensk region and Lithuania came to Novy Dvor.

8. An incredible number of volunteers

The largest number of search engines was observed on weekends. According to official data, over two thousand volunteers gathered in Novy Dvor on Saturday. Experts noted that many people had no experience at all in such operations, sometimes they simply did not know how to behave and what to do.

Nevertheless, everyone was divided into groups, each of which received its own search square.

Volunteers say they walked through the forest and swamps for 10 hours, sometimes in the rain. But no one was able to find any traces of Maxim. The coordinator of the “Angel” squad, Kristina Basova, despite various shortcomings in the organization, believes that the search is being conducted at the highest level.

“Yes, at the beginning there were problems and there was not even a single coordination point where information from all search groups would flow. But for a very a short time specialists were able to streamline coordination and direct people to search activities. They managed to feed people, warm them and provide a place to rest. Everyone participated in this. It’s just that people were actually motivated to find Maxim,” Basova said.

According to Christina, those who were unable to come and help in the search transferred money to the squad’s bank account. And this, she says, is also a big help.

9. Can a child survive in the forest for that long?

The coordinator of the “Angel” detachment, Kirill Golubev, who today coordinates the work in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, says that the possibility that the boy is alive is real. According to him, there were cases when a four-year-old child disappeared in the taiga and survived for 10 days.

“We assume that the boy is still alive. The search continues, no new traces of Maxim have been found, but we believe and are looking,” says Kirill Golubev.

The commander of the “Angel” detachment, Sergei Kovgan, said that the operation has search and rescue status.

“The fact is that now there is nothing special to eat in the forest. I understand that the hunter could still get food for himself, but he is not a hunter, he is only a teenager, and it is difficult to imagine what he could eat here,” says Kovgan.

10. The operation continues

According to official information, on September 25, over 500 people were involved in the search for Maxim. The search continues, no new traces of Maxim have yet been found.

How are some of the most large-scale searches Maxim, who disappeared in the Pushcha.

10-year-old Maxim Markhalyuk disappeared last Saturday. It was already the eighth day since he went into the forest. All week, volunteers, rescuers, police officers and military personnel combed Belovezhskaya Pushcha, near which the agricultural town of Novy Dvor is located. And volunteers, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the police unanimously say: not a single old-timer remembers such a large-scale search. However, there is still no news yet.

Eight in the morning. Not far from the medical yard of the local agricultural complex there are tents of military and rescue workers. There is smoke coming from the field kitchen. There are also two large helicopters and one drone from the Academy of Sciences, which was supposed to fly out yesterday to search for Maxim. Also, as reported by the Internal Affairs Directorate, they were supposed to search for the boy at night with a thermal imager.

The results of these searches are not yet known. At 10:00 the headquarters meeting began. By 11 o'clock, the chief of staff, deputy chief of the Internal Affairs Directorate, Alexander Shastaylo, will announce the action plan and details of the operation that took place last night.

Today it is planned to participate 40 people from the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations (Grodno), 34 from Volkovysk Regional Emergency Situations, 34 from Svisloch and 21 from the detachment special purpose, - Natalya Zhivolevskaya, press secretary of the Grodno EMERCOM, told Onliner.by. - I want to emphasize that they all take part in the search in their free time from duty. And they volunteered to participate in the search of their own free will.

Another camp, already for volunteers, was located at the stadium of a local school. There are dozens of cars and hundreds of people here. In the center is the headquarters of the rescue teams "Angel" and "TsentroSpas".

There are significantly more people here than yesterday. By nine in the morning, more than a thousand people had already arrived from all over the country. And they keep coming. Many people take their dogs with them.

We came from Molodechno. There were three cars of us, five people each. We don’t know each other at all, we just decided: “We need to go.” And they wrote off on VKontakte,” says Svetlana, who is participating in the search for the first time. “We left even earlier than four in the morning in order to be there by eight.” We are all mothers and fathers, we believe that if something happens to our children, God forbid, then people will also come to our aid.

We are also from Molodechno. We spent the night here and are now ready to search, says Maxim, Valery, Olga, Igor and Sergey. The guys periodically help “Angel” in the search and are going to stay until tomorrow if Maxim is not found today.

Most likely, he was afraid of wild animals and ran away and is now wandering somewhere in the forest, the young people are optimistic. - In any case, we believe in the best.

The guys from the Brest motorcycle club arrived on ATVs. They say it’s much easier to search this way: there are a lot of fallen trees in the forest.

I was released from work yesterday. They treated us with understanding,” says the strong Sergei. According to him, the passages in the forest are difficult: there is a lot of windfall. “It’s easier for men, guys can walk 30 kilometers, women - 15 kilometers.” We walked in a chain, there was a lot of windfall, a lot of rubble, while you looked at everything, of course, the girls lagged behind, says Sergei.

We hope that today’s search will definitely bring results,” adds his comrade Victor. - Today there are many more people, we think the search radius will expand.

Yura, Tanya, Oksana, Svetlana also took four hours to get to Novy Dvor from Minsk. They say they couldn’t sit at home, knowing that they needed help.

I have a brother at home of the same age, we are also 11 years apart, like this boy and his older brother. As soon as I think that he could have gotten lost, I get goosebumps,” explains Oksana.

“We simply couldn’t sit at home, knowing that Maxim was alone there in the forest,” the guys say. - There were a lot of people traveling. Those who could not travel, they handed over parcels. We carried medicines, food, and stationery. A lot of people donated money. Trouble leaves no one indifferent.

On weekdays we couldn’t get away, we worked,” say the guys from Baranovichi. “And at night only specially trained people went into the forest; volunteers were not allowed in.” So as soon as it became clear that we needed help over the weekend, we came right away. Local residents who have been looking for Maxim for a week cannot talk about what happened without tears.

Oh, if only he could be found today, I can’t talk, sorry,” the tear-stained woman in a red jacket turns away.

We are all worried about him. “We didn’t even see him that day, only one of us saw him,” the fifth-graders at school say, vying with each other.

At headquarters, Angel coordinators are discussing how to distribute people. Not without raised tones. Many people are worried and trying to give each other good advice.

Separately, field kitchen volunteers sort food and prepare tea to feed the children.

On the other side, the Red Cross pitched their tents. There is also water, food and all the information about the missing Maxim.

Internal Affairs Directorate: “If we don’t find the boy in 10 days, we will initiate a criminal case”

After 12:00, we were still able to catch the head of the search headquarters, Maxim Markhaluk, and the deputy head of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Shastailo. He told the details of yesterday's search operation.

As for reconnaissance with thermal imagers, last night experts identified several hot spots. This morning, forces including the republican special forces detachment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations checked these points. They did not give any information about the missing person,” said Alexander Shastaylo.

On this moment in the territory where, according to preliminary data, the missing person may be located, searches are being carried out by law enforcement agencies, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, military personnel, regional authorities, and organizations. Also today, a sufficient number of volunteers arrived.

Are there any clues or traces?

We are even returning to those places that were examined earlier, now the territory is quite well-trodden, there are many traces,” noted the chief of staff. - If the traces are of interest, the information is sent to headquarters. A mobile group arrives at this location and inspects in detail the area where traces were found, and the information is transmitted to headquarters. At the moment, all the information received has been checked - there is no result. We are working on various versions, but the main working version is the version that the boy got lost in the forest.

Are there any other options being considered besides forests?

A swampy area is being considered. Just today information was received about a wetland area where abandoned buildings are located. A mobile group went there, we dropped it off from a helicopter, and specialists checked this area.

Is there some kind of criminal version being worked out? Maybe the boy was kidnapped or ran away?

These leads are being followed up by law enforcement officials. In accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, 10 days after filing an application with the internal affairs bodies, all information is transferred to the Investigative Committee. And he is already initiating a criminal case.

Are there any search standards? After how many days do the searches stop?

There is no established standard as such. The search will continue regardless of the result that is obtained and will be obtained in the future. Perhaps not such forces will be involved, but operational search activities will be carried out. The statute of limitations for such cases is significant.

Ministry of Emergency Situations and volunteers: we comb the territory within the radius where a person could have reached, we even look 100 kilometers away

During the day, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has a task for aviation - to work out points. The idea is simple: the drone flies, and the thermal imager detects “warm objects.” After some time, the drone returns to its place again. And if it fixes the point again, then a special mobile group is sent there to search the area, including hard-to-reach areas such as islands in swamps and so on.

This work is still underway,” the Ministry of Emergency Situations emphasized. - We choose the radius based on how many people can walk during this time. Yes, we also take 100 kilometers for insurance.

The second task is the coordination of volunteers. More than once or twice in the groups of the search and rescue team they said that there are a lot of people, but there are not enough coordinators.

Today around 10 a.m. the volunteers were divided into small groups of 30-40 people. Coordinators - foresters and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations - were sent along with them. By the way, the latter employs about 140 people; these are rescuers not only from the Grodno region, but also from the Brest region. The guys lined up in a chain and went to comb the forest.

Pay attention to any caches, hiding places, holes,” the curators explain to the volunteers. - If you fall behind or encounter a hard-to-reach place, tell it to the curator, and he stops the entire chain. It's clear?

Yes, say the volunteers and move into the forest: a chain 500 meters long, as a rule, goes through a depth of 3 kilometers. The second group is moving towards her. And so on all day until dark.

It takes from 30 minutes to an hour to walk three kilometers through a forest thicket - it all depends on the difficulty of the passage and the windfall. It’s warm and damp in the forest, people have sprayed themselves with anti-tick sprays, wrapped cellophane around their feet from boots and above the knee, and are protecting themselves with gloves.

Someone leaves for the base: other guys come to replace them. The ages are completely different: from high school students who say “stop” when they hear any rustle, to strong men of pre-retirement age.

“We didn’t find anything,” the guys from the group that was combing the forest along the road between Porozovo and the agricultural town of Novy Dvor say upsetly. “Don’t give up!” - the latter encourage. - We'll look further.

It’s incredible that so many people gathered from all over the country, say those who arrived. - There are guys from Mogilev, Bobruisk, Soligorsk, Vitebsk. Concerned people responded from all over the country. Such mutual support brings tears to my eyes.

By the way, Maxim’s parents do not want to communicate with journalists, just like his brother Alexander. As they explained in the village, “because of one very annoying journalist who covers a crime topic.”

The girl tried to literally crawl into the house and ask her parents questions, said director Novodvorskaya high school Alla Goncharevich. - Now the parents have decided not to communicate with the press.
Added. Law enforcement officers: “Disinformation has been spread more than once”

At about 3 p.m., volunteers came across some things. They were handed over to Maxim’s parents, but the things turned out to be not his, representatives of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee told Onliner.by. Neither volunteers nor aviation found any more clues.

As of 20:00 on September 23, 2017, the boy was not found. Volunteers are currently looking for overnight accommodation in the agricultural town; many will spend the night in tents. They can continue their search tomorrow.

At 21:24, summary information on the results appeared on the website of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee today. Law enforcement officers summarize: a week of searches did not yield any results.

Today, the already combed areas were once again worked out. Large forces have been deployed to check all the pits that are located near the village, reports the press service of the Internal Affairs Directorate. - Deputy Head of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee Alexander Shastailo noted that today law enforcement officers once again went around all the houses in the village, checked attics and wells, and housing and communal services employees also checked sewer hatches in order to exclude the possibility of a child getting there.

It's nice to see how these types of events can bring people together. More than two thousand people came to search for Maxim from neighboring regions, the Internal Affairs Directorate noted. - Volunteers, the Red Cross, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, despite the weekend, came to provide assistance. And some who could not come are helping financially; a lot of food, water and essential goods have been brought for the volunteers. All this was received from concerned citizens.

According to law enforcement officers, they are working on everything possible versions and check any information coming to the headquarters.

Once again I would like to draw attention to the problem of spreading false information,” warns the Internal Affairs Directorate. - On some resources they found news where condolences were expressed to the parents, since the boy was found dead in a noose. There was also news that he was seen by the Ministry of Emergency Situations while flying in a helicopter, and he escaped from them.

This information is not true. Each of those people who are there makes every effort to find Maxim. This kind of information can undermine the morale of people who are working hard. And it’s scary to imagine how parents and relatives will feel after reading this kind of misinformation.

The search for the missing Maxim Markhaluk continues.

GRODNO, September 27 – Sputnik, Inna Grishuk. Maxim Markhalyuk, who disappeared in the Pushcha, was thinking about escaping from home, and had been thinking about escaping for a long time. Residents of the village of Novy Dvor are talking about this, in the surrounding forests of which they have been searching for a 10-year-old boy for the second week. Many are sure that the child was not lost, but deliberately left home.

Why go into the forest at night?

According to Sputnik’s interlocutor, her friend said that on the same day, but after 19:00, she saw Maxim riding in the center of the village. And then he disappeared into the ground, everyone said that he had gone into the forest. But the woman is sure that going into the forest so late is not like Maxim. After all, at eight o'clock in the evening at this time of year it is already dark, and the boy would not want to go into the darkness.

I've been planning my escape for three years.

They say that then the boy, either seriously or out of resentment, told his parents: “I won’t live with you and I’ll run away anyway. Don’t buy me anything, everything for Sasha (older brother - Sputnik).”

Another resident of Novy Dvor, Tatyana Petrovna, said that the child has changed recently.

At the same time, the woman emphasizes several times that Maxim’s family is very positive, prosperous, and his parents are hardworking.

I could have left

The main version that residents of Novy Dvor tend to believe is that Maxim left for another area, and did so the same evening or the next morning.

The child most likely had money. Even local children say that it is very easy to earn money in the Pushcha. For example, you can sell berries or mushrooms.

And everyone characterizes Maxim as a very lively and purposeful boy. They say that he often went to the forest.

Neighbors consider rumors that the child was seen at different times either in the forest or on the road to be fiction. And they immediately ask: “If they saw a child, why didn’t they catch up? They’re adults. But it turns out that they saw and allowed him to leave.”

Many locals constantly go into the forest on their own to look for Maxim.

“My soul aches for the boy and for the family. We also don’t sleep at night. Every day, both during the day and in the evening, I go to the forest, calling him. And now I’m going too, maybe I’ll find something,” adds Valentina Aleksandrovna.

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