26 Dec 2026
Saturday
Process
21 Edition

The Belshina Courier

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Vladislav Solanovich in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Alexey Matlakh

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Vladislav Davydov knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladislav Davydov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

Back issues
20 Edition

The Belshina Courier

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Nikita Golub in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Belshina lose Nikita Patsenko

120 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Maxim Zhabitskiy stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Maxim Zhabitskiy and Belshina agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

19 Edition

The Belshina Courier

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Makar Suschiy: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Belshina have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Vladislav Solanovich in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Pavel Seleznev signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pavel Seleznev commits to Belshina for another 3 years.

In brief

18 Edition

The Belshina Courier

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

Silverware for Belshina

They will talk about this season in this town for a long time. The trophy comes home with the squad, and the route is already agreed.

Boardroom

Belshina are going up

Promotion, confirmed and mathematical, and a town that will not sleep much tonight. Whatever else this season had in it, it ends a division higher than it began.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Vladislav Solanovich was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

Wages eat 495% of everything Belshina earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Nikita Sokolovskiy gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Alexandr Kuchinskiy knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Alexandr Kuchinskiy trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

17 Edition

The Belshina Courier

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Nikita Sokolovskiy: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Belshina have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Pavel Prishivalko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

The Yuriy Kozlov story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yuriy Kozlov signs something — a contract at Belshina or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

16 Edition

The Belshina Courier

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Vladislav Solanovich was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Artem Zimin signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Artem Zimin and Belshina agree another 4 years.

Squad

Nikita Patsenko asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

15 Edition

The Belshina Courier

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Vladislav Solanovich in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Nikita Patsenko signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Nikita Patsenko and Belshina agree another 4 years.

Squad

Alexandr Kuchinskiy is not doing himself any favours

A manager forgives a bad Saturday far more readily than a bad Tuesday, because one of them he can explain and the other one he chose. The reports this week have not been good.

In brief

14 Edition

The Belshina Courier

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Nikita Golub in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Wages eat 495% of everything Belshina earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Vladislav Davydov knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladislav Davydov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

13 Edition

The Belshina Courier

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Vladislav Davydov says Belshina went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Vladislav Solanovich in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Alexandr Kuchinskiy

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alexandr Kuchinskiy, and the manager let it.

In brief

12 Edition

The Belshina Courier

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Nikita Golub says Belshina went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Vladislav Solanovich was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Stanislav Lomako gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

11 Edition

The Belshina Courier

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Maxim Zhabitskiy says Belshina went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Pavel Prishivalko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Fabián Castillo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Fabián Castillo, and the manager let it.

In brief

10 Edition

The Belshina Courier

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Ivan Veras says Belshina went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Home is on Fabián Castillo's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Belshina are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Vladislav Solanovich was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

9 Edition

The Belshina Courier

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Vladislav Solanovich in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Vladislav Kabachevskiy

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Semen Shestilovskiy knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Semen Shestilovskiy trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

8 Edition

The Belshina Courier

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Pavel Prishivalko in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Ivan Veras attracts admirers

The name of Ivan Veras has come up in conversations Belshina were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Zan Kampl still has not settled

A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Belshina would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.

In brief

7 Edition

The Belshina Courier

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Vladislav Solanovich in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Loan watch

Daniil Kulikov wants to come home

“I did not go to Dinamo Brest to sit and watch. I want to come back to Belshina and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

Squad

No hiding place for Maxim Zhabitskiy

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Zhabitskiy, and the manager let it.

In brief

6 Edition

The Belshina Courier

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Nikita Sokolovskiy puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Belshina, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Belshina turn down Zvezda for Ivan Veras

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Yuriy Kozlov out for 19 days

The medical room confirms 19 days on the sidelines for Yuriy Kozlov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Vladislav Solanovich was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Timur Galimzyanov moves on

Molodechno pay $35.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Boardroom

Wages eat 333% of everything Belshina earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

In brief

5 Edition

The Belshina Courier

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Belshina out of the cup

BATE ended it 0‑1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.

Squad

Pavel Prishivalko keeps Belshina in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Vladislav Bolotnikov asks to leave Belshina

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Nikita Golub was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

One of those days for Stanislav Lomako

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.83, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Match

Stanislav Lomako sends Belshina past Uni-X Labs

It finished 1‑0, and it was Stanislav Lomako’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Belshina.

Squad

Semen Shestilovskiy gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Artem Zimin

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Semen Shestilovskiy shuts the door

Defensive actions: 15, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

In brief

4 Edition

The Belshina Courier

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Artem Zimin sends Belshina through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Artem Zimin obliged against Dinamo Brest. 2‑1 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Belshina.

Market

Timur Galimzyanov puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Belshina, and it is not being withdrawn.

Match

Belshina cannot stop winning

4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Vladislav Solanovich was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

One of those days for Pavel Seleznev

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.86, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Artem Zimin

Marked 8.80 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Vladislav Solanovich

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Belshina find a way past Volna Pinsk

Volna Pinsk made Belshina work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

Fabián Castillo stands above it all

Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.68 on the card, and the Belshina support went home talking about one name.

In brief

3 Edition

The Belshina Courier

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Cup progress for Belshina

A 1‑0 win over Lida, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?

Match

Timur Galimzyanov sends Belshina through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Timur Galimzyanov obliged against Lida. 2‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Belshina.

Squad

Vladislav Solanovich in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Belshina this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Timur Galimzyanov

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.03, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Pavel Seleznev

Marked 8.88 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Alexey Matlakh

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Pavel Seleznev gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Nikita Golub runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

A long bet from Belshina on Makar Suschiy

He is 19, and nobody at Belshina signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

In brief

2 Edition

The Belshina Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Pavel Prishivalko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Vladislav Kabachevskiy gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Fabián Castillo has outgrown this division

There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Belshina know it, and so does everybody who watches him.

Market

Nobody at Belshina has picked up the phone to Vladislav Rusenchik

48 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

Market

Belshina buy the years ahead of Maxim Zhabitskiy

He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.

Market

Belshina and Semen Shestilovskiy are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

In brief

1 Edition

The Belshina Courier

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Belshina turn down Arsenal Dzerzhinsk for Ivan Veras

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Vladislav Solanovich signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Vladislav Solanovich and Belshina agree another 3 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Belshina

Vladislav Solanovich was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Pavel Seleznev

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

Vladislav Kabachevskiy sends Belshina past Lokomotiv Gomel

It finished 2‑1, and it was Vladislav Kabachevskiy’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Belshina.

Player ratings

Nikita Golub in the eights

A performance of 8.84 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Market

Uni-X Labs join the queue for Vladislav Drapeza

Add another name to the list: Uni-X Labs have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Vladislav Drapeza. The answer from Belshina has not changed — yet.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Yuriy Kozlov

Marked 8.45 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Market

Belshina and Yuriy Kozlov are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

In brief