Hello. I am a Belarusian volunteer.
In 2020 I was an active participant of the protest marches in the now famous Square of Changes courtyard. I could not accept the fact that the protest was suppressed and many of my friends were imprisoned because of the increasing repression. I had to leave for Europe, but I lived the dream of returning to Belarus and continuing the struggle.
In 2022, when the invasion of Ukraine began, I realized that violence had to be confronted. I prepared myself, did military training, practiced, and when the opportunity arose, I joined the Kalinowski Regiment. I took part in the battles in Kherson, Bakhmut and other directions and was awarded a medal. On the one hand, I gained invaluable combat experience during the service and acquired loyal friends. But on the other hand — I saw what horror the war brings. I want to do everything to prevent this war from coming to Belarus.
Now for family reasons I had to interrupt my service. I came to Europe to my wife and child to support them in their adaptation in a foreign country. But it is not easy for me to return to peaceful life myself.
In addition to experience and friends, I acquired PTSD during the war, and my outlook on life has changed a lot. It is difficult for me psychologically to live in a prosperous Europe, when my friends die in the war and my comrades are tortured every day in prisons in Belarus.
But I try not to give up. During this time I worked in a cab, on a construction site, in logging, but now I have lost my job again. My wife, on the contrary, has just recently got a job, but she has not received her first salary yet. In this period of financial hole we need help with the payment of the hostel for a couple of months. In addition, our child has a toothache at a very bad time. The treatment cannot be postponed and for us it is also a very big amount for now.
I would be grateful for any help you can give us to cope with these difficulties!
*Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental state resulting from a single or repeated event that has a super-powerful negative impact on the psyche. Its symptoms include re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance of reminders of the event, or increased arousal that causes significant distress and interferes with normal daily activities and family, social, or work life
How much is needed?
€1800
€1000 — two months' hostel fees
€300 — dental fees for the child
€500 — food for the family and things for school