My name is Yury Averkov. I am 54 years old. I am a former political prisoner, and I now live in Warsaw. I never prepared for exile or imagined that I would have to start my life over in another country. I was simply forced out of Belarus without my belongings or any money. With my long list of health conditions, I have been unable to find work and am now asking for support.
At the beginning of 2024, while I was working as a taxi driver and waiting for a passenger, law enforcers dragged me out of my car, beat me, threw me into the mud, tied me up, and took me to the police station. There, they showed me fabricated Telegram screenshots. Later, they confiscated my laptop from my home and sentenced me to 15 days of detention for forwarding a Belsat video to a relative. Just before I was due to be released, they opened a criminal case against me, added more charges, and placed me on the “extremist” and “terrorist” lists. After that came transfers between different remand centres, prison transports, and eventually Correctional Facility No. 22, including time in the prison medical unit and prison hospital. I had a disability and several chronic illnesses even before my imprisonment, and after prison my health became much worse.
On December 13, 2025, I was released together with a large group of political prisoners and forcibly expelled from Belarus through Ukraine. That is how I ended up in Poland.
Only recently, I was granted refugee status. For a while, I lived in a shelter, but the temporary accommodation program has ended. Now I rent a room and survive on what remains of the assistance I received after my release. Those limited funds are running out. I have no stable income, yet every month I still have to pay for rent, food, medication, and everyday necessities.
For almost two months now, I have been sending out my résumé every day, but I still have not been able to find a job. Perhaps employers are not looking for someone like me. I physically cannot do heavy work – I cannot stand for long periods, walk long distances, or lift heavy loads. I am applying for all kinds of sedentary jobs: assembly work, repair work, packaging, or warehouse order preparation. I can also work on a computer. If my health allowed it, I would find something useful to do.
Even before prison, I had a third-degree disability. My primary diagnosis is bilateral multisegmental pulmonary embolism – a condition in which blood vessels in the lungs become blocked, affecting circulation and placing additional strain on the heart. I also have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, leg problems, a spinal hernia, and several other chronic illnesses. Even before imprisonment, my health significantly limited my ability to do physical work. After prison, my condition deteriorated even further.
I am ready to learn new skills and am considering retraining programs. I need a job that I can do from home or one that does not require heavy physical labor. But finding that kind of work does not happen overnight.
While I continue searching for such an opportunity, my money is running out. My main goal is simply not to lose my housing or my means of survival while I look for work and try to manage my health. I am not asking to be supported for years. I am asking for temporary assistance to help me through this difficult period – to keep a roof over my head, buy food and essential medication, continue searching for work, and, if possible, complete professional retraining.
Fundraising goal
€2300
€1100 – Rent
€700 – Medication, medical examinations, and healthcare expenses
€500 – Food and essential household expenses