Andrei Shmai is a citizen of Ukraine. He is charged under two articles of the Criminal Code: Article 358 (espionage) and Article 358-1 (agent activity). Judge Yauhen Burunou began to consider his case in the Viciebsk Regional Court on February 15, 2024. 

Andrei has been detained in pre-trial detention center No. 2 since January 19, 2023. He was arrested right at his workplace. For a long time the family did not know what had happened to him, and only two weeks later Andrei's wife received a phone call from the authorities. The man, who identified himself as an investigator, asked her to hand over her husband's documents. He gave no further details.

Andrei was born in Chernihiv. He moved to Belarus after his marriage. The family lived in Viciebsk for 10 years.