Hi, everybody!
My name is Sasha. I am a documentary photographer.
Since 2010 I have been shooting for independent and foreign media. The presidential elections and the subsequent dispersal of “Ploshchy” in 2010, “silent protests” and many other Belarusian events have been in the lens of my camera.
When “Maidan” started in Ukraine, I went to shoot it because I couldn't pass by. After that I documented the beginning of the war in Donbass — there I filmed volunteers who, often without any experience and skills, went to defend their country. This is how my first war-related projects appeared: “War among sunflowers: volunteers of donbas” and “Commemorative photography”.
In Belarus I did a lot of shooting for the charity fund “Names” — I always wanted to make the world a little better. Another important topic I worked on together with my colleague was domestic violence in Belarus. We talked and filmed a lot of women in difficult situations.
Of course, I couldn't help filming all the events of 2020. I filmed them from the first to the last day. That's when I first got to Okrestina for 11 days. But I decided to stay in Belarus anyway, because I thought it was important to keep documenting what was happening.
With the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine, I realized that I couldn't stay away, and I had to film there. I traveled to Ukraine three times, spending a month and a half there each time. And so, after the third trip, I was arrested, searched, and waited 10 days on Okrestin until I was charged.
Like many other journalists, I was accused of active participation in protests and sentenced to 3 years of “domestic chemistry”. No one cared that I was doing my job. In total, I spent about 3 months behind bars.
“Home chemistry” is a type of punishment where the convicted person remains free but with restrictions — BYSOL note.
Fearing further persecution and realizing that I would no longer be able to do what I love in Belarus, I decided to go to Poland, where I plan to ask for international protection and start a new life.
€3700 is the amount I would like to raise. It will help me to pay for housing and groceries while I am waiting for the decision to grant me protection. I will also use a small part of the money raised to prepare my motorcycle for a trip to Ukraine, to the front line, where I plan to continue documenting the war and the consequences of Russian aggression.
Thank you!
How much is needed?
€3700
€2400 — rent for an apartment for 4 months,
€800 — running costs (groceries, travel) for 4 months,
€500 — repair of the motorcycle after the previous trip to Ukraine, preparation for the next trip.