Kyiv, Ukraine – Ivan Tamashevich fought alongside Kiev’s forces against Russia on several fronts.
But at age 39, two years after enlisting, he gave up the fight for health reasons in March.
His frozen shoulder caused stiffness and pain, and going into combat seemed irresponsible, he said, as it could have put his comrades in danger.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make. As a Belarusian fighter-turned-civilian, Tamashevich has no right to work, rent an apartment or open a bank account in Ukraine.
Under current Ukrainian law, foreign fighters without a residence permit have seven days to leave Ukraine after breaking their contract with the army.
Several Belarusians joined the war against Russia, hoping that the fall of President Vladimir Putin would also bring down his main ally – President of Belarus Alexandr Lukashenko.
Returning home would mean prison.
However, there is a glimmer of hope for Tamashevich.
The Ukrainian Parliament approved in first reading a new bill that would allow Belarusian and pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters to apply for Ukrainian passports, provided they renounce their first citizenship. They would receive residence permits, but it is unclear when the new rules will come into effect.
Tamashevich arrived in Ukraine in 2021 after Belarus opened a case against him for participating in mass protests a year earlier against alleged electoral fraud committed by Lukashenko.
To stay in Ukraine, he requested asylum eight months ago. But he is still waiting for a decision.
“The fact that he fought in the Ukrainian army doesn’t matter. I spoke to the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] officials who deal directly with Belarusians, but these are completely separate branches of government,” Tamashevich recently told Al Jazeera in a cafe in Kiev. “Trying to influence my case would be considered corruption. This is how democracy works.”
But he doesn’t complain. He managed to save some money to survive until the asylum decision and in the meantime, he focuses on volunteering.
As soon as his health improves, he will be able to return to the front.
It is unclear how many Belarusians are currently fighting in Ukraine, but according to unofficial figures it could be as many as 1,000. More than 40 people lost their lives in combat, according to the Kyiv Independent media outlet.
The Association of Belarusian Veterans of the War of Ukraine, a foundation registered in Warsaw in 2023 by Belarusian activist Pavel Maryeuski, claims that the majority of Belarusian veterans are currently in Poland, a country that has embraced Belarusians fleeing repression over several decades .
Maryeuski, who is in his 30s, is also a veteran.
After leaving a Belarusian regiment after six months of service in 2022, he wanted to remain in Kiev and help out as a volunteer. But staying was harder than he expected.
“I came to the migration service and they expelled me because I am Belarusian and, in their opinion, I am from an aggressor state. It didn’t help that I fought for Ukraine,” Maryeuski said.
He moved to Poland and soon realized that life as an exiled Belarusian veteran was far from rosy. Many have struggled to legalize their stay, find a job or return to civilian life away from the Ukrainian front lines.
“A person can return from war, but war does not leave a person so easily. I faced this myself. The sounds of planes and trams in Warsaw scared me at first,” he said.
“A psychologist agreed to work with me for free, for which I will always be grateful. But those who don’t receive psychological care are left alone with their problems. And the solution they find is usually alcohol or drugs.”
Maryeuski, together with her fellow ex-combatants, opened the foundation to address common challenges. Their group chat has over 100 members who support and monitor each other.
Maxim, 25, who requested anonymity, is a member.
He escaped prison time for participating in anti-government protests in Belarus and crossed the border into Ukraine in 2021.
As the Belarusian authorities had his passport, he was unable to regularize his stay in Ukraine.
After Russia launched the full-scale invasion in late February 2022, he joined a Belarusian unit three days into the war and fought until October 2022. He resigned in part because losing comrades proved difficult to handle. endure, he said.
But without documents he could not stay in Ukraine.
With a copy of his passport and a birth certificate in hand, he crossed the border into Poland, where – after several hours of border security checks – he sought asylum.
At first, he sought help from friends because he couldn’t legally work while awaiting the asylum decision. The social support he received from the Polish state was not enough to cover his expenses.
He received refugee status six months later, but believes more support should be available to Belarusian veterans.
“Poland should create some kind of support system, but it is unlikely to be implemented unless something major happens in Belarus,” he said. “Right now, there’s no help out there, so you have to fend for yourself.”
A year after the creation of the Association of Belarusian Veterans of the Ukrainian War, Maryeuski feels “abandoned”.
No one seems to care about the fate of their comrades, he said. Last year, they did not receive a single donation.
They finance psychological and medical assistance for veterans by contributing to or with the help of the Belarusian foundation By-Sol.
“We requested funding from several organizations, but were unsuccessful. As they told me in an informal conversation, independent European and Belarusian organizations do not want to finance us because they think we are combatants involved in the war”, said Maryeuski.
“Some of the boys are still young, up to 18 or 19 years old. They have their lives ahead of them. We have to help them.”
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
