My name is Siarhei Voytyuk, I come from Kamenets district, I have lived in Brest all my conscious life. I worked as a system administrator in different companies.
I started to consciously follow what was going on in Belarus in 2009. I remember well the Square on December 19, 2010. It really struck me, I could not recover for a long time.
Since 2019, I have been closely following what Tihanovsky was doing. I agreed with him in everything, but I did not believe that anything could sway Belarusians. Wrong. There was such an incredible unity in 2020 that it was impossible to miss this chance. Everyone had to do their part, including me. I went out to the rallies, and if I couldn't go myself, I tried to tell others where it was safer to go. I was lucky I wasn't detained.
But then 2021 began. It was hard mentally, the images of thousands of people on the streets never left my mind. There were many detentions, complete lawlessness — it was depressing. By the end of 2021 it seemed that life was getting back on track, but then the war in Ukraine started.
It came as a real shock to me. I arrived at work that day — my phone was already literally bursting with news. I could not believe that Russian equipment was coming across our border. The next day was even worse. At work there were conversations in the style of “And maybe it is right”, it was morally depressing. Many of the people I know who supported the protests in 2020 were justifying Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I haven't spoken to them since. Morally it was even harder then than at the end of 2020. My only thoughts were that something had to be done about it.
At the end of February 2022, I learned about the existence of Kastus Kalinowski's battalion still fighting for Ukraine at that time. I studied the information about them and realized that the slogan “Da vozvalenne Belarusi praz vozvalenne Ukraina” resonated with me. Because I thought and still think that the main evil is not only Lukashenko, but also Putin. The motto of the regiment emphasizes it.
At the beginning of April I decided to join our guys. I knew that for this purpose I had to get to Poland first, but I made a stupid mistake and went directly to Ukraine. I wanted to get to the regiment faster, and at that moment I did not understand how to make a visa. As a result, I was detained on the same day. It was even ridiculous: I thought I was already on the territory of Ukraine, I went to a farm where my grandfather lived, speaking pure Ukrainian. He invited me to the veranda and gave me tea. I told him where I was going. After that he went back into the house for a while — and people in uniform came.
They did not beat me during detention, but tried to pressurize me morally. They said that they were about to start a case for “treason”. At first they accused me of distributing extremist materials. But 10 days of arrest in the temporary detention center was only the beginning: after that I was accused of intending to participate in hostilities on the part of Ukraine. Then there were interrogations for 5-6 hours, psychological and physical pressure, and a farce called “trials”. In July, I was given a 2.5-year colony sentence.
The zone is just a separate world. Constant psychological pressure from the staff, cellmates, other prisoners. You don't know what awaits you in a couple of hours, tomorrow and so on.
When I got out, I realized that I did not feel safe. There was no desire to repeat my “adventure”. And in the fall of 2024, I moved to Poland. At first I had a lot of help, but unfortunately, here I am not yet able to put my life on the right rails. Although I know a little Polish, of all the options for earning a living, I managed to get a job only on a construction site. At least they pay something (but not always), although it is not easy physically.
So I decided to ask for help. I can't manage on my own: I'm at the construction site from the morning, and on weekends I'm at a poly-school (I've decided to study to be an animation film technician). But the program lasts two years, and I do not know if I can last that long on the construction site. So I want to retrain to better fit the local market (already found courses that last a few months) and get a stable job. I really need help paying for housing during my studies.
I believe that I will be able to find my place in Poland. However, every day it is more and more difficult to keep this faith, but I am not giving up yet. I will be very grateful to everyone who will respond to my request for help.
How much is needed?
€2500
€900 to pay for an apartment for two months,
€1000 for retraining and certificates in mechatronics,
€600 for basic necessities.