Home United States USA — Criminal Volunteers from Belarus fight for Ukraine, seeking freedom for both

Volunteers from Belarus fight for Ukraine, seeking freedom for both

150
0
SHARE

One is a restaurateur who fled Belarus when he learned he was about to be arrested for criticizing President Alexander Lukashenko. Another is certain his brother was killed by the country’s security forces.
One is a restaurateur who fled Belarus when he learned he was about to be arrested for criticizing President Alexander Lukashenko. Another is certain his brother was killed by the country’s security forces. What united them is their determination to resist Lukashenko by fighting against Russian forces in Ukraine. Belarusians are among those who have answered a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for foreign fighters to go to Ukraine and join the International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine. For the Belarusians, who consider Ukrainians a brethren nation, the stakes feel especially high. Russian troops used Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine early in the war, and Lukashenko has publicly stood by longtime ally Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing him as his “big brother.”
Weakening Putin, the Belarusian volunteers believe, would also weaken Lukashenko, who has held power since 1994, and create an opening to topple his oppressive government and bring democratic change to the nation of nearly 10 million.

Continue reading...