On February 27, 2022, on the third day of the war that Russia unleashed against independent Ukraine, I went out in the center of Hrodna with an A4 poster: “No to war with Ukraine”. It was my personal protest, a challenge to the system, an attempt to defend my beliefs.
I stood for only 5-7 minutes before uniformed officers approached me. They said that I was breaking the law and accused me of “illegal picketing”. I was taken away from the square to a side street to wait for the police. They ordered me to hide the placard, but I refused: “let people see what I was being detained for”.
At the police department of Leninski Borough of Hrodna they searched me, took my phone and started interrogating me. The officers accused me of “having to sit here instead of being with my children”. Later, the phone became the cause of a new round of pressure: they found subscriptions to Telegram channels recognized as extremist in Belarus. I was intimidated and threatened, trying to find out information about the chat-bot “Plan Peremoga”. Under pressure, I wrote that I had registered in this chat-bot, although I did not have time to complete the registration. At that time I still hoped that this story would end with a fine for me.
But the fine was only the beginning. I was sent to Hrodna pre-trial detention center for three days. On March 1, the court held a trial, at which I was fined 50 basic units. The next day I went to the university as an exemplary student, not knowing what was waiting for me.
On the morning of March 2, the Main Department of State Bureau of Internal Affairs came to the dormitory where I lived. I was taken straight from the lecture. More interrogations, threats and demands to record a video with a “confession” began. Later I was taken to the Investigative Committee, where I was shown a criminal case under Article 361.1*. I was given the status of a witness and forced to sign a non-disclosure document.
After that I returned to my studies, but not for long. On March 9, I was reprimanded for “absenteeism” from February 27 to March 1 — the days when I was under arrest. And on March 17, the University Prevention Council voted for my expulsion — 8 votes in favor, 7 against. The reasons? My participation in the solidarity chain in August 2020, volunteering at the hospital after the riot police crackdown, performing “opposition” songs. I was one of the best students of the faculty, but this did not save me: on April 3, the expulsion order was signed by the rector Irina Fyodorovna Kiturko.
On April 4, KGB officers came to my parents' house. I was not there, otherwise it would have been my third detention. Realizing that it was dangerous to stay in Belarus, I started to draw up documents for leaving. On April 24th I received a Polish humanitarian visa, and on May 4th I left the country.
I came to Poland alone, without friends and relatives, having only 1000 dollars in my pocket. I tried to get on my own feet as much as possible: I learned the language, found a job, tried to continue my studies. But I had to choose: either study or work.
The next blow came unexpectedly. In March 2023, my godfather, who was a close person to me, died. It was a huge loss from which I could not recover for a long time. And in October of the same year, I was faced with suspected breast cancer. The weeks of waiting for the results of the examination were unbearable, but the diagnosis, fortunately, was not confirmed. However, every half a year I have to be examined so that the benign formation does not increase. I am now preparing for surgery.
In February 2024, I lost another close person — my father. His death was the second heavy blow, and until now I am still trying to cope with this pain.
Now, being in Warsaw, I find myself in a difficult situation. In October 2024, I finally got a job with a company that deals with stretch ceilings. At first everything was fine, but now my employer is now delaying my salary for the second month. I simply don't have the means to pay my rent and support myself. This is another trial that is testing my resilience.
I am going through this whole struggle without the support of my parents. But I'm not giving up. Even after losing my home, my studies and my usual life, I remain true to my principles.
The collected funds will help me to pay for housing, solve my health issues, find a new job and continue to fight for my future. Any help is more than just financial support. It is a sign that my story matters and that I am not alone.
*Art. 361.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus — creation of an extremist formation or participation in it.
How much is needed?
€3000
€1800 — rent of an apartment for 4 months. I need this time to quit my old job and find a new one.
€1200 — medical examination. The surgery (if there is one) will be covered by insurance. However, I need to go through a lot of procedures and tests to close this anyway.