KGB Officer Dies In Controversial Shootout During Apartment Raid On Home Of US Citizen

This footage allegedly shows a Belarusian KGB officer being fatally shot by an American man critical of the regime who was also shot and killed in front of his wife and a third person in their apartment in the capital Minsk.

The incident took place in the Belarusian capital on Tuesday 28th September.

The footage has been widely published by Belarusian state media amid allegations on social media and in Russian media that the footage has been edited to suit the purposes of the regime.

Photo from the alleged Instagram of Andrey Zeltser who was killed by KGB officers during the assault on the apartment in Minsk, Belarus . (@andrewzeltser/Newsflash)

The footage allegedly shows what officials claim are Belarusian KGB officers breaking down the door to an apartment with a sledgehammer before it then switches to inside the apartment where a man can be seen holding what appears to be a shotgun.

However, according to Russian media outlet Life, the authenticity of that footage cannot be confirmed.

An unnamed woman said to be the American’s wife can also be seen in the apartment and the footage filmed from inside the flat was allegedly shot by a third person who had also not been identified at the time of writing.

Photo from the alleged Instagram of Andrey Zeltser who was killed by KGB officers during the assault on the apartment in Minsk, Belarus . (@andrewzeltser/Newsflash)

The protester, who has been named as Andrei Zeltser, 31, allegedly held Belarusian citizenship as well as a United States passport and reportedly worked for an American IT company which has not been named, according to Russian media outlet MKRU. But other reports have suggested that he worked for Belarusian software company EPAM.

He was allegedly shot dead by the Belarusian KGB after opening fire on one of the officers storming the apartment.

Zeltser has been called “a particularly dangerous criminal” by the Belarusian KGB, according to Russian media outlet Medialeaks. But Medialeaks drew attention to photographs allegedly posted on Zeltser’s social media accounts and which netizens have said do not match the person seen holding the shotgun in the footage.

Photo from the alleged Instagram of Andrey Zeltser who was killed by KGB officers during the assault on the apartment in Minsk, Belarus . (@andrewzeltser/Newsflash)

The footage was also distributed by Belarusian state TV channels but Russian media outlets including Life, MKRU, and Medialeaks have cast doubt on the authenticity of the footage and cited inconsistencies, including the allegation that the footage was edited.

Netizens on social media have also reportedly cast doubt on the validity of the footage.

The Belarusian KGB officer who was allegedly fatally injured during the incident has been named only as Dmitry, going by the callsign “Nirvana”.

Photo from the alleged Instagram of Andrey Zeltser who was killed by KGB officers during the assault on the apartment in Minsk, Belarus . (@andrewzeltser/Newsflash)

Belarus has been the scene of violent protests ever since the controversial election saw “Europe’s last dictator” Alexander Lukashenko remain in power despite widespread allegations of voter fraud.

The security forces in the eastern European state have been cracking down on dissenters and many Western nations have imposed sanctions on the regime.