Russian club Akron and Belarusian club ML Vitebsk have agreed on the transfer of 21-year-old Belarusian centre-back Nikita Baranok. Nikita Baranok joined the reigning champion of Belarus permanently. Nikita Baranok had previously joined Akron ahead of their debut in the Mir RPL, played seven matches in the Fonbet Russian Cup, and spent the 2025 season on loan at ML Vitebsk. After a one-year loan in Belarus, representatives of ML Vitebsk expressed interest in a permanent transfer of Nikita Baranok on favorable terms for Akron. Akron's sporting director Alexey Burtovoy stated that they wanted to assess the player's readiness during winter training camps, but that the young player needs to play and develop, and will have more opportunities to do so at his new club given the competition at Akron. Baranok, who has 22 caps and 3 goals for the Belarus U21 national team, made no appearances for Akron in the 2025/2026 Premier Liga season. His current Transfermarkt market value is €400k.