Vasil Berasnieu leads the Orša Radio-Electrical Manufacturing Workers' Trade Union (REM) as the deputy chairman. He was arrested on April 19, 2022, as a defendant in a criminal case.

In the remand, his health deteriorated significantly. He suffers from pain in his only kidney.

On November 25, 2022, the trial of the trade union leaders began in the Minsk City Court. Vasil Berasnieu was accused of "calling for restrictive measures aiming to harm the national security of  Belarus" (Part 3 of Article 361), "inciting other social hatred or enmity" (Part 3 of Article 130), and "creating an extremist formation or participating in it" (Part 1 and Part 3 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code). Judge Anastasiya Papko agreed to the proposal of the prosecutor Raman Biziuk and held the trial behind closed doors.

On December 27, the verdict was expected, but Judge Alena Papkova unexpectedly announced that the trial of the trade union activists would be postponed due to newly revealed circumstances, and asked everyone to leave the courtroom. The reasons for such a decision are still unknown.

On January 5, 2023, the verdict was handed down: activists of the Belarusian independent trade unions were found guilty. Judge Anastasiya Papko sentenced Vasil Berasnieu to nine years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony. Soon the political prisoner was transferred from remand prison #1 in Minsk to prison #4 in Mahilioŭ.

The Supreme Court considered an appeal against the sentence. On April 3, 2023, the court panel headed by Judge Piotr Listratsenka dismissed the appeals and upheld the verdict.

On May 5, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs included the political prisoner in the list of Belarusian citizens, foreign citizens or stateless persons involved in extremist activities.

In the beginning of May 2023 it became known that the political prisoner was transferred to the penal colony № 15.

In the beginning of October 2023 it became known that Vasiliy was urgently sent to the regional hospital. Already during his stay in the pre-trial detention center, the health of the political prisoner deteriorated significantly: the most dangerous thing is that he suffers from pain in his one kidney. The situation is so critical that he needs a kidney transplant. Numerous requests and applications by the prisoner for medical assistance or referral for examination have gone unanswered for a long time. As a result of his health problems, his blood pressure has increased significantly and he now requires daily medication.

He was pardoned and released on August 20, 2024.