Vladyslav is an activist from Ivacevičy. At 17, he joined the peaceful protests of 2020, which drew the attention of law enforcers who started visiting his home for “friendly chats.” In 2022, he joined the closed chat “Sajuz belaruskaha nacyjanalnaha ščyta” and launched the anti-war TikTok channel “Danjamss,” which was soon declared an “extremist entity.”
In November 2022, he was arrested during his compulsory military service, charged under Art. 361-1 part 3 and 361-4 of the Criminal Code, and on July 7, 2023, the court sentenced Vladyslav to three and a half years in a medium-security correctional facility.
“In total, I spent 162 days in a punishment cell. For any trifle – if I looked the wrong way or smiled – I was put in solitary confinement. In winter, with no warm clothes, they deprived me of care packages and books, and took away textbooks.”
Employees of Correctional Facility No. 15 often repeated to him: “Political prisoners must not live better than others.” On October 24, 2024, he was forced to sign a paper requesting a pardon, after which, in January 2025, he was released and placed under preventive supervision by the Ivacevičy district police department.
“There, everything is as law enforcers like it: regular phone checks, threats, and provocations,” recalls the former political prisoner. In the end, Vladyslav decided to leave, as the next arrest was only a matter of time.
On March 12, 2025, Vladyslav crossed the Lithuanian border and “started from scratch: without belongings, documents, or equipment.”
“There are health consequences from the correctional facility, documents are partly lost or expired: the passport has expired, the school diploma can only be issued in person in Belarus, the driver’s license was seized during the arrest,” notes the former political prisoner.
He now lives in Lithuania: restoring documents, looking for a job, and planning to continue his studies. He became a volunteer and mentor in the Belarusian volunteer organization “Dapamoga.”
Vladyslav needs support to get settled, as he had to leave Belarus with just one backpack, and life in exile brings many challenges, including health issues.
“I am tired, but unbroken in spirit,” emphasizes Vladyslav. “I was inside a system that does everything to make you disappear, but I chose another path: to speak, to help, not to be afraid. Sometimes it is frightening, sometimes desperate. I am sure what I am doing is important, but I need your support right now.”
Fundraiser goal:
€2250
€1200 – rent for 3 months
€50 – foreigner’s travel document in Lithuania (passport replacement)
€300 – design courses for employment
€700 – restoration of driver’s license