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“Our Children Are Volunteers, Not Mercenaries”

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“Our Children Are Volunteers, Not Mercenaries”
PHOTO: NASHA NIVA

A committee of parents of volunteers fighting for Ukraine has been created in Minsk.

A press-conference of parents of the Belarusians fighting for Ukraine is taking place in Minsk. Mikalai and Alena Skobla, the parents of Aliaksei Skobla, Volha Shauliukevich, the mother of “Zubr” from Azov, and Victar Melnikau have taken part in the event, Nasha Niva reports.

Chairman of the steering committee for creating the party “Belarusian Christian Democracy” Paval Sieviarynets has noted in the welcoming speech that the pressure on these parents reflects the pressure from the Russian authorities. The apartments of all the parents were raided, with confiscation of property – technical equipment. The special services also put pressure on the guys’ friends.

Victar Melnikau has noted the following in his speech: “The thing that motivated me to join the volunteers’ parents’ committee was re-shaping of the Belarusian legislation – they introduce the concepts “mercenarism” and “terrorism”. This article contradicts the international acts and something needs to be done about this.”

Volha Shauliukevich has said: “I am a mother, I love my son and I am not going to abandon him. I have been beaten, I am frightened but will go forward in spite of everything,” – Volha says. She has told about the incident when an unknown man hit her in the head when she went out of the suburban commuter train.

“Our son Aliaksei thinks of Ukraine as a neighbor who has been attacked. He is an adult person and I am not going to comment upon his choice. They came to us and confiscated the tablet-PC, which was mine. They told about drugs, fake money. This is ridiculous – it’s been a year, everything has been moved from one place to another many times. They never returned the tablet-PC,” – Volha has noted.

The committee of parents of volunteers fighting in Ukraine has been set up today in Minsk, (leaders - Shauliukevich and Melnikau).

Its purpose is to protect parents and children who are at war. They presume there will be an attempt to register it, and then to apply to the "chamber of representatives" with the requirement to cancel the amendments to the law on "mercenaries", and also to address to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.

“Those who are fighting for Ukraine are volunteers. Those who are at war on the DPR’s side are mercenaries,” – the members of the committee are convinced.

According to Viktar Melnikau, Yan Melnikau’s father, about 120 Belarusians are fighting for Ukraine today, and about 200 people – for the so-called "Novorossia".

The initiators of the Committee have not yet contacted the relatives of all the volunteers who fight against the separatists, but they plan to do so.

"We are ordinary people, we have jobs to do, we can keep on talking for three years, but we need to take action to rehabilitate our children," – Victar Melnikau has said.

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