Dear Belarusians,
For many years, we were told that Belarusian history began barely a century ago. Supposedly, there was nothing before the Soviet Union or the Russian Empire.
But that is not true.
On September 8, 1514, near Orsha, the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, commanded by Konstanty Ostrogski, defeated the Muscovite army. It was a truly great victory for Belarusians, Lithuanians, Poles, and Ukrainians.
All of Europe learned about it. And today, more than five hundred years later, we are once again bringing this page of our history back to light.
This victory shows that Belarusians have their own statehood tradition. We have our own military history. We have our own victories and our own heroes — both historical and contemporary.
And Konstanty Ostrogski is one of them.
Interestingly, both Belarusians and Ukrainians consider him one of their own today. He was born in Volhynia, and his life was connected to the lands of modern-day Belarus, Ukraine, and Lithuania.
Today, his legacy also has symbolic significance, especially in the context of the war Russia unleashed against Ukraine.
When Russian troops entered Kyiv from Belarusian territory in 2022, many Belarusians supported Ukraine.
Some passed on information about the movement of Russian military equipment. Others stopped trains. And the bravest Belarusian volunteers took up arms and went to defend Ukraine, understanding that Ukraine’s victory would open an opportunity for Belarus as well.
I know that many officers and soldiers in the current Belarusian army also stand on Ukraine’s side today. They value our independence. They do not support the dictatorship. And they will not allow Belarus to be fully drawn into this criminal war.
The Belarusian army must defend Belarus and Belarusians, not serve someone else’s imperial ambitions.
Both Belarusians and Ukrainians deserve to live in peace and freedom.
I want both Belarusians and Ukrainians to live in peace. I want our children never to have to go to war. I want them to grow up in their own countries, know their history, and decide for themselves what their future will be.
And it seems to me that September 8 is a good day to think about this once again. And simply to remember: we have our own history that we can be proud of. And we have our own country that we must protect.
Long Live Belarus!
