Notes of a Belarusian volunteer from the front in Ukraine

Officially, Belarus, under strongman leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, is Russia’s main ally in the war against Ukraine, providing important logistical support for the invasion and also participating in Moscow’s saber-rattling against NATO.

But Hundreds of Belarusians have crossed the border to fight alongside the Ukrainian military since February 2022. And at least 63 of them have been killed, Sources report RFE/RLalthough their names are usually not made public to protect their relatives in Belarus.

Speaking to RFE/RL on July 10, the exiled leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition, Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya, stressed that the fates of Belarus and Ukraine are currently closely linked.

“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 entire region and in Belarus.”

Friends of a Belarusian volunteer shared his correspondence from Ukraine with RFE/RL. The man, whose identity is being kept secret to protect his relatives who remain in Belarus, has faced prison and other persecution for his participation in the 2020 pro-democracy protests that erupted after Lukashenka was awarded a sixth term as president in an election that millions of Belarusians believe was rigged.

Unable to find work and under constant police surveillance, 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 and edited excerpts from the messages he sent to Belarus.

“Driven by the love of freedom”

May 10, 2023: It’s taken me a while to get here, but I’ll let you know now if anything happens. Remember the words of Jesus Christ: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” God bless you all.

May 11, 2023: I have the same motivation as everyone here. The liberation of Belarus. As Christians, we should not remain silent and do nothing about the chaos around us. In my unit there are many different people – young, passionate, old. We are all driven by the love of freedom. I am slowly getting to know the people here. Many good people.

May 21, 2023: Today they’re teaching us guerrilla work. Laying mines and trip wires. I’m fine. And you? Soon we’ll be moving into the forest.

May 25, 2023: Today we are going to Kiev for a funeral. Maybe I’ll stay here at the base, they need drivers. But no, I’m going on with the guys. I’m doing first aid training and going 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 give us food and we have what we need. I will not give up.

June 28, 2023: I’m fine. We’re training a lot. We were in Kyiv for a few days and are now at the base. I’m being medically evacuated, but everything is changing quickly.

July 22, 2023: One of my friends’ sentences (in a Belarusian prison) have expired, but they don’t want to release him. Nobody knows what to do. I’m more or less fine. I’m dead tired. I’m flying to Dnipro tonight.

July 31, 2023: I still drive a truck. I go to many places. Tomorrow I’m bringing ammunition to Kramatorsk. They’ve heard about our losses. Now the main thing is to help their children. One of them lived next door to me, just across the wall. (Editor’s note: A few days earlier, the deaths of three Belarusian volunteers were reported in Ukraine.) Yesterday (Belarusian opera singer) Margarita Lyauchuk performed. As a talented girl, she drove away our sadness and grief.

27 August 2023: There is chaos here and there are not enough people to even think about coming to Belarus and liberating it. That is a pity. But my conscience is clear. I help as much as I can. Many people are disappointed and go back. I miss my own life and my girlfriend. But that is quite natural. There is a war here. Many people have lost their homes and their land. Not everyone can deal with that here. Especially when they are on the front line.

“Getting used to war”

October 1, 2023: I haven’t written for a long time. I’m in Kupyansk and I’m getting used to the war. It’s terrible what’s happening here. (Editor’s note: In the fall of 2023, heavy fighting broke out in the area around the city of Kupyansk in the northeast of Kharkiv region, with Russian forces trying to recapture territory they occupied for several months in 2022.)

1 November 2023: This is a real war, national pain and grief. Many people have left. The town I am in is half destroyed. Just like the surrounding villages. We have never seen so much grief in our country. In almost every family, someone has died. When you drive past a cemetery, you see Ukrainian flags everywhere. This is not the same as in Kyiv. When you see all this up close, it is terrifying.

February 8, 2024: I am in Kharkiv now. I went to Kyiv to get a dental treatment and to submit some documents. They promised to give citizenship to Belarusian volunteers. They are giving us a vacation. Fifteen days. I would like to visit you in the summer. Recently there was a (Russian) breakthrough, but we just managed to prevent it. We are on duty every night. I do medical evacuations. I go all the way to the front to pick up the wounded. I am slowly getting used to the explosions of war. But it is still scary. I am sorry I am not writing anymore.

April 12, 2023: Now I’m deployed behind the lines. I’ve had a little to drink. It’s demoralizing when someone gets killed. Maybe I’ll stay another year. But if they keep attacking like this, will my nerves hold out? To be honest, I’m tired. I’ve been here for almost a year. The worst thing is when we’re on the move. When we hold our positions, it’s quieter, even if shells fly overhead every 10 minutes. We mostly drive at night. I have night vision goggles. We run on adrenaline. When I’m deployed and drink a little, I notice how much my nerves are burned out. Many people here suffer psychologically. Some drink. Some take drugs. Some gamble. That’s the reality here. All front-line towns are destroyed by artillery. There are dogs that have eaten human flesh. That’s how we live. The losses undermine our morale. You have no idea how much suffering the “Russian world” has brought here. Is there an end to it?

June 7, 2024: We are in the Kharkiv area. There is fighting everywhere. I think I am fine. When someone dies, a lot of people leave. It is very demoralizing. There are so few of us, but somehow we are holding on. I will be here for a while. I am already used to it. But the war has to end at some point. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. Nobody here is safe from anything.

On June 9, 2024, this Belarusian volunteer was killed when the car he was traveling in with another volunteer hit a landmine. Their bodies have been recovered. Their unit keeps the remains of their fighters in the hope that they can one day be buried in Belarus.

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting from RFE/RL’s Belarus Service. With additional reporting by Margret Johnston in Washington