Resident Of A Town On The Border With Ukraine: People Already React Differently To The Words About The AFU

At the sight of real power, the Lukashists will scatter.

A reader from a small district center in southwestern Belarus writes to the editorial office of Charter97.org. He told how the attitude of Belarusians towards the Ukrainian Armed Forces has changed:

- Our district is located near the border with Ukraine. A railroad and a highway to the neighboring country go through it. We have always lived close to Ukraine: almost everyone has relatives on the other side of the border. Yes, for the last 30 years there was a border, passport and customs control between us, but the ties remained very close. There have never been any contradictions between Belarusians and Ukrainians.

All that changed in February 2022. Our city, although far from Kiev, was filled with Russian military. Trains with RF equipment stood and drove from the side of Brest, sometimes entering our city and neighboring settlements. It was obvious that the Russians had plans for western Ukraine as well, after their "Kiev in three days". They launched missiles at Ukrainian cities right from our neighborhood. We could see the trails in the sky and hear the rumble of these missiles.

Then we realized that there was no longer any previous life. The ties with Ukraine, which everyone in our city had, were severed. It became dangerous even to call our relatives in the neighboring Ukrainian city. It was as if the Iron Curtain had come down again.

It became clear that we were under occupation. Strangers in uniform commanded the local security forces. Fear and repression for any wrong breath came not only to our small town, but to the whole Belarus. Yes, there were repressions after 2020, when Lukashenko suppressed popular protests by force. But after February 2022 things got even worse.

The propaganda has also intensified. Local newspapers, television, ideologists at enterprises began to scare us with the attack of Ukraine. There was even a story on BT that the AFU allegedly wanted to seize our city. But no one here believes this nonsense. Everyone understands: the war has reached a dead end for the Russians, and they themselves can try to attack again from Belarus.

The fear that trouble will come to our city again has been growing lately. Again there is a wave of intimidation and lies, again they tell about "the attack of Ukraine". But people are already reacting differently. We understand: the occupation has already happened. We have already been invaded by Russia. We are already being oppressed.

And for the first time people began to whisper: "We are waiting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We are waiting for them to come and liberate not only our city, but the whole Belarus. People are really waiting for it. And it will be not occupation, but liberation from dictatorship, from fear, from evil. Even some people in Lukashenko's army and among law enforcers realize it. At the sight of real power, they will simply scatter.

I want to convey to my Ukrainian brothers: Belarusians support and have always supported Ukraine. We hope for its victory on the battlefield and believe that the Ukrainians will free not only themselves, but also their neighbors from occupation.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com