What was achieved thanks to the fundraiser for volunteers launched by BYSOL
Foundation News
Friends, we want to share the results of the BYSOL Foundation's work for July.
Private fundraising
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- Almost completed
Elena Meshcheryakova nearly died from COVID, survived repression by law enforcers, and was forced to leave the country. When Russia attacked Ukraine, she became a volunteer, but now she needs help herself.
Furniture assembler Aliaksei Sanchuk joined the protest movement in 2020. Together with his friends, he organized unusual protest actions and was one of the drummers who set the rhythm of the protests.
After his release from prison, Alexei faced a new challenge: he has been unable to find work, while at home his mother is battling advanced cancer and requires constant care.
Anna is 50 years old. She was an associate professor, headed a university department, and worked on projects aimed at making Belarusian cities better. But in 2023, she was arrested when she returned home to visit her mother.
Katya Bartko applied for asylum in the United States because of political persecution in Belarus. As a result of a wrongful arrest, she ended up in an immigration detention centre, without the life-saving medication she needs, and came within a hair's breadth of death. Her partner Dmitry is asking for help to free her from detention with the assistance of lawyers and prevent her deportation to Belarus.
At the age of 18, Oleg took part in the protests in Pinsk and spent more than five years behind bars, including two years in prison isolation. In December 2025, he was forcibly deported from Belarus. Now, as he begins a new life in exile, he is asking for support to complete vocational training and become financially independent.
A Belarusian woman and her son ended up in exile to avoid imprisonment. She now lives in Poland, but because her child was very young, she was unable to find a job. Now she is able to work, but urgently needs support to pay for housing and childcare.
Alexey left Belarus after a meeting with a KGB officer who threatened him and offered him cooperation. In Poland, the student was denied international protection, and in order to pay for legal assistance and file an appeal, he went into serious debt.
For displaying two flags in 2022 — the white-red-white flag and the Ukrainian flag — Kateryna Zaretskaya was sentenced to 5 years in a correctional facility. After being deported first to Ukraine and then to Poland, Katya faced the consequences of the hard labour she endured in the correctional facility — hernias and a spinal disc protrusion. She needs help paying for a rehabilitation course to preserve her health and ability to work.
Katya Bartko applied for asylum in the United States because of political persecution in Belarus. As a result of a wrongful arrest, she ended up in an immigration detention centre, without the life-saving medication she needs, and came within a hair's breadth of death. Her partner Dmitry is asking for help to free her from detention with the assistance of lawyers and prevent her deportation to Belarus.
In March this year, former political prisoner Denis was forcibly deported to Lithuania after a group of political prisoners was released. Since then, the Belarusian has been rebuilding his life in exile. To become financially independent, he needs to gain a new profession, and while he studies, he needs to cover housing, food, and treatment for dermatitis.
Larisa, a former correspondent for Belsat, is now a former political prisoner and an ethnographic photographer. In 2025, she was deported from Belarus to Lithuania three months before her release. She is waiting for international protection in Poland; due to the Dublin procedure, her case has been delayed, and she needs support during this period.
Elena Meshcheryakova nearly died from COVID, survived repression by law enforcers, and was forced to leave the country. When Russia attacked Ukraine, she became a volunteer, but now she needs help herself.
Furniture assembler Aliaksei Sanchuk joined the protest movement in 2020. Together with his friends, he organized unusual protest actions and was one of the drummers who set the rhythm of the protests.
BYSOL fundraising
This is a fundraising campaign to support the youngest victims of Belarus's political repression – the children of political prisoners, both in Belarus and abroad. Together, we have the opportunity to make a real difference in their lives.
We are launching a fundraiser to support children of Belarusian political prisoners, timed to coincide with International Children’s Day and the start of the summer holidays. Every year, this assistance reaches children in Belarus and families who have been forced to leave the country.
In November 2025, a group of Ukrainian citizens was released after being held in Belarus on political charges. They were extracted from the country and handed over to the Ukrainian side.
Thanks from the beneficiares
Thanks from the beneficiares
Initiatives
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My name is Ilya Mironov. I am a former political prisoner who was forced to leave Belarus for Lithuania in 2023 urgently. In Vilnius, I organize concerts, creative evenings, and cultural events featuring Belarusian musicians who were forced to leave their homeland due to repression.
A large number of volunteer veterans are forced to leave Ukraine quickly after completing their service due to issues with documents and legalization — many had their passports expire during service, and some already have families in Europe, as they were forced to leave Belarus due to persecution.
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The independent media project “Nottoday.media” has become a voice for stigmatized communities who are most often denied empathy by institutions: people struggling with addiction in exile, dissidents and activists, women and queer artists, representatives of counterculture and the underground scene.
MROJA is an initiative to create a Belarusian eco-homestead in Podlasie – a place where Belarusians in exile can rest, reconnect, and feel at home. The team is seeking support to build a large outdoor pavilion for visitors while the main construction is still underway, so that people can start coming to the homestead already this season.
After persecution and being blocked in Belarus, the “Vitebsky Courier news” team continues to fight for the truth about their hometown. The project is now on the brink of closure – this fundraiser will help keep the newsroom running and launch new formats.
The Ethnocultural Center “Svitаnak” was created to teach Belarusian traditions, folklore, and language. It gives Belarusians the opportunity to preserve their culture and identity in exile, and offers people from other countries a chance to discover Belarusian heritage. Due to funding difficulties, the center now faces the risk of suspending its core activities.
MROJA is an initiative to create a Belarusian eco-homestead in Podlasie – a place where Belarusians in exile can rest, reconnect, and feel at home. The team is seeking support to build a large outdoor pavilion for visitors while the main construction is still underway, so that people can start coming to the homestead already this season.
The project “Psychological Support for Children with the Experience of Emigration, Including Children with Autism” was launched by Fundacja Zachód Wschód Wsparcie to help children who have undergone major life changes grow into confident, calm, and happy adults.
A large number of volunteer veterans are forced to leave Ukraine quickly after completing their service due to issues with documents and legalization — many had their passports expire during service, and some already have families in Europe, as they were forced to leave Belarus due to persecution.
My name is Ilya Mironov. I am a former political prisoner who was forced to leave Belarus for Lithuania in 2023 urgently. In Vilnius, I organize concerts, creative evenings, and cultural events featuring Belarusian musicians who were forced to leave their homeland due to repression.
The Ethnocultural Center “Svitаnak” was created to teach Belarusian traditions, folklore, and language. It gives Belarusians the opportunity to preserve their culture and identity in exile, and offers people from other countries a chance to discover Belarusian heritage. Due to funding difficulties, the center now faces the risk of suspending its core activities.
The independent media project “Nottoday.media” has become a voice for stigmatized communities who are most often denied empathy by institutions: people struggling with addiction in exile, dissidents and activists, women and queer artists, representatives of counterculture and the underground scene.
Fund´s statistics
As of March 1, 2026
- 2722 requests received help with evacuation
- 296 activist projects received assistance
- 1430 fundraising campaigns posted on the website
- 1361 dismissed people supported
- 40 vehicles transferred to help Ukraine
- 1801 political prisoners/released people received help
- 191 requests from volunteers and veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war supported
- 27755 hotline requests processed
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