During the violent crackdown on peaceful protests in Minsk, Mikhail was wounded and arrested. A few months later, he was sentenced to three years in an open correctional facility (“confinement in an open correctional facility”). After his release, constant persecution by the authorities made it impossible for him to rebuild his life in Belarus, and he and his girlfriend eventually fled to Poland.
My name is Mikhail. Back in 1996, when I was still a child, I attended opposition rallies with the adults. So on August 9, 2020, there was no way I could stay home. During the protest march on Kalvaryiskaya Street in Minsk, I found myself exactly where security forces opened fire on protesters with rubber bullets and stun grenades. I was hit in the leg and fell to the ground. Five OMON officers ran up to me and began beating me with batons. The beating continued inside the police wagon, and when one of them stepped on my neck, I lost consciousness.
At first, I received three days of administrative detention. But in September I was arrested again, and in December 2020 I was sentenced to three years in an open correctional facility (“khimiya”). From the day I arrived, I was placed under preventive watch. They constantly fabricated violations, monitored my every move, searched my phone whenever they wanted, and intimidated me. The pressure was unbearable. The day before my release, KGB officers came to see me. They threatened to transfer me somewhere else, confiscated my phone, but thankfully never carried out their threats.
At the open correctional facility, I worked on a cattle farm. I earned just 250 Belarusian rubles a month, and 65 of those had to be paid toward the cost of my supervision. I was barely making ends meet just to survive until the next month. Any complaint or objection on my part was recorded as a violation—which could have landed me in a punishment cell or even resulted in my transfer to a correctional facility. I endured the poverty, the exhausting work, and the abuse only because of the support of my family and kind-hearted people who helped me with food. I will never forget them.
During that dark period, I met a woman who had fled the war in Ukraine and sought refuge in Belarus. Talking to her brought light into my bleak everyday life and gave me the strength to endure everything and dream of building a new life together.
She waited for my release in 2024, and we spent another two years living in Belarus, hoping things would change. We couldn't move to Ukraine because of the war.
Meanwhile, the political persecution against me never stopped. Every day the risk of being arrested again grew higher. Eventually, we realized we had no choice but to emigrate to Europe.
After years of poverty wages and constant surveillance, I had almost no savings. Arriving in Poland, I found myself struggling once again. It takes time to adapt and legalize my status in a new country, but I already need to pay rent and look for work.
For these first months, I need your support. Please help me regain the chance to live, work, and build a family.
Thank you in advance to everyone who helps me begin this new chapter of my life.
May God bless you and your loved ones.
Fundraising goal
€1500
€1500 – rent for the first two months and essential living expenses.