Officially, Belarus under strongman leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka is Russia's most important ally in its war against Ukraine, providing important logistical support for the invasion as well as joining in Moscow's saber-rattling against NATO.
But hundreds of Belarusians have crossed the border since February 2022 to fight alongside the Ukrainian military. And at least 63 of them have been killed, sources tell RFE/RL, although their names are usually not publicly released to protect their relatives in Belarus.
Speaking to RFE/RL on July 10, the exiled leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, stressed that the destinies of Belarus and Ukraine were deeply connected at this moment.
"The fates of our countries are intertwined," she said. "Without a free Belarus, there will be no free and peaceful Ukraine. And vice versa. Without a free Ukraine, there will be no peace and security in the whole region and in Belarus."
Friends of one Belarusian volunteer shared with RFE/RL his correspondence from Ukraine. The man, whose identity is being withheld to protect his relatives still in Belarus, endured prison time and other persecution for his participation in the 2020 pro-democracy protests that erupted after Lukashenka was awarded a sixth presidential term in an election that millions of Belarusians believe was stolen.
Unable to get a job and under constant police supervision, the man decided to leave his hometown in southwestern Belarus and volunteer to fight in Ukraine. In his early 50s, divorced and with a young daughter, he asked an opposition group to help him cross the border in May 2023. Below, RFE/RL presents translated excerpts, edited for clarity, from the messages he sent back to Belarus.
'Driven By A Love Of Liberty'
May 10, 2023: It took me a while to get here. But I'm in contact now, if something comes up. Remember the words of Jesus Christ: "For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them." God bless you all.
May 11, 2023: I have the same motivation as everyone here. The liberation of Belarus. As Christians, we shouldn't be silent and do nothing about the chaos around us. There's a variety of people in my unit -- young, passionate, old. We are all driven by a love of liberty. I'm slowly meeting the people here. A lot of good people.
May 21, 2023: Today they are teaching us guerrilla work. Placing mines and setting trip wires. I'm fine. How are you? Soon we are moving to the forest.
May 25, 2023: Today we are going to Kyiv for a funeral. I might stay here at the base -- they need drivers. But, no, I'm going further with the guys. I'll take the first-aid training and get closer to the front. I'm bored here.
June 5, 2023: Today I walked 25 kilometers with full gear and my weapon, at night without food. Don't send me anything. They are feeding us, and we have what we need. I'm not going to quit.
June 28, 2023: I'm fine. We are training a lot. We were in Kyiv for a few days and now are at the base. I will be in medical evacuation, but everything is changing quickly.
July 22, 2023: The sentence of one of my friends [in a Belarusian prison] has expired, but they won't release him. No one knows what to do. I'm more or less fine. Tired as a dog. Tonight, I fly to Dnipro.
July 31, 2023: I am still driving a truck. I go lots of places. Tomorrow I'm taking some ammunition to Kramatorsk. You have heard about our losses. The main thing now is to help their children. One of them was living next to me, just on the other side of the wall. [Editor's note: A few days earlier, the deaths of three Belarusian volunteers had been reported in Ukraine.] Yesterday [Belarusian opera singer] Margarita Lyauchuk performed. A talented girl, she dispelled our sadness and grief.
August 27, 2023: It's a mess here, and there are not enough people to even think of entering Belarus and liberating it. That's too bad. But my conscience is clear. I am helping as much as I can. A lot of people get disappointed and go back. I miss my own life and my girlfriend. But that's natural. There is a war here. Lots of people have lost their homes and land. Not everyone can handle it here. Especially if they are on the front lines.
'Getting Used To War'
October 1, 2023: I haven't written for a long time. I am in Kupyansk, getting used to war. It is horrible what is happening here. [Editor's note: In the fall of 2023, the area around the northeastern Kharkiv region city of Kupyansk saw fierce fighting, with Russian forces trying to recapture an area they occupied for several months in 2022.]
November 1, 2023: This is a real war, national pain and grief. A lot of people have left. The city where I am is half-destroyed. As are the surrounding villages. We have never seen such grief in our country. Someone has died in almost every family. When you drive past a cemetery, you see Ukrainian flags everywhere. It's not the same as in Kyiv. When you see it all close up, it is terrifying.
February 8, 2024: I am in Kharkiv now. I went to Kyiv to get a tooth fixed and submit some documents. They have promised to give citizenship to Belarusian volunteers. They are giving us leave. Fifteen days. I'd like to visit you in the summer. Recently there was a [Russian] breakthrough, but we just barely stopped it. We are on duty every night. I am doing medical evacuations. I go to the very front to collect the wounded. Am slowly getting used to the explosions of war. But it is still scary. I'm sorry for not writing more.
April 12, 2023: Now I'm on rotation behind the lines. I had a little to drink. It is demoralizing when someone is killed. Maybe I'll stay for another year. But if they keep attacking like this, will my nerves hold out? To be honest, I'm tired. I've been here almost a year. The worst thing is when we are on the move. When we are holding our positions, it is quieter, even if shells pass overhead every 10 minutes. We drive mostly at night. I have a night-vision device. We are running on adrenaline. When I'm on rotation and have a little to drink, I realize how burned out my nerves are. Many people here are suffering mentally. Some drink. Some do drugs. Some gamble. That is the reality here. All the frontline cities have been destroyed by artillery. There are dogs that have eaten human flesh. That's how we live. The casualties undermine our morale. You have no idea how much grief the "Russian world" has brought to this place. Is there an end to it?
June 7, 2024: We are in the Kharkiv area. There is fighting all around. I'm fine, I think. When anyone dies, a lot of people leave. It is very demoralizing. There are so few of us, but somehow we are holding on. I'll be here for a while. I'm already used to it. But the war must end eventually. No one knows what will happen tomorrow. Nobody here is safe from anything.
On June 9, 2024, this Belarusian volunteer was killed when the car in which he was traveling with another volunteer struck a land mine. Their bodies were recovered. Their unit is holding the remains of its fighters in the hope they can someday be interred in Belarus.
