Results of the Belarusian Anti-War Movement for the week of May 9-15

Any Belarusian can join the Movement and choose from numerous options to resist the war and Belarus' regime.    

Here is an overview of the Movement for the week of May 9-15.

Support for Ukrainians and Belarusians 

• Following the visit of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Czechia reversed its decision to pass a law that could block Belarusians' relocation to the country. Czech Foreign Minister and President assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that the bill will be adjusted accordingly.
• Volha Budai, an interpreter from Belarus, organized a fundraiser to purchase aid for Ukrainians. In two months, about 300 people joined it, donating over $6,000. Volha used the money to buy the essential items for Ukrainians: baby food, medicines, hygiene products, and sleeping bags.
• On May 8, when Europe marked victory over fascism, Ukrainian and Belarusian diasporas of Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Cologne, Szczecin, Krakow, Gdansk and Bialystok held rallies to protest against Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.
• Belarusian Volha Adamovich has hosted 2500 refugees from Ukraine at her home in Lublin, Poland. After establishing cooperation with volunteers from the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy and France, she also receives and stores humanitarian aid from these countries for refugees. 
• Yuliya Yukhno, an activist of the association of Belarusians in Italy, spoke at the National FILCA CISL congress in Bergamo. She talked about the Belarusians' struggle against the dictatorship and support for Ukraine, noting that Belarusians must be distinguished from the regime. 
• Odessa and Mykolaiv, Ukraine, received humanitarian aid, including Israel-made bandages, tourniquets, and hemostatics. Belarusians from the diaspora in the UK and2 Poland raised funds for the aid thanks to NaviBand’s benefit concert in Krakow, Poland.
• In partnership with Lithuania’s largest initiative Blue / Yellow for Ukraine, the BYSOL Foundation prepared and packed 18 tactical medical kits for volunteers in Ukraine. 
• Pavel Latushka, head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, held a meeting with French Foreign Ministry Special Representative Nicolas de Lacoste. They discussed further steps to increase international legal pressure on the regime, continue cooperation on universal jurisdiction and proper documentation of war crimes, and to support the Anti-War Movement in Belarus.
• The Seimas of Lithuania held political consultations on Belarus: Belarusians will not face discrimination at the government level in Lithuania, and a tribunal will be created for the regime.
• The Dissidentby initiative launched a platform to help political prisoners find jobs, as most employers are unwilling to hire them in view of the risks of persecution.

Resistance

• Minsk residents put up an anti-war poster in one of the city districts. 
• Belarusians wrote an anti-war slogan on a Victory Day stand in Minsk.
• Belarusians in Minsk held a picket for Belarus without Lukashenka. They supported a resident of the town Zhabinka who was arrested for saying “Belarus without Lukashenka”.
• Belarusians in Barauliany expressed gratitude to the Belarus Kastus Kalinouski battalion fighting in Ukraine.
• A Belarusian protested against the war near the Russian consulate in Brest. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail.
• Residents of Minsk distributed leaflets with anti-war messages.

Awareness campaign

• The new issue of the Chestnaja Gazeta underground press outlet tells about Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Remembrance Day address, explains how to write letters to political prisoners in Belarus, covers the sentiment in the Belarusian army, and more. Belarusians distribute underground media to counter state propaganda.
• The Protestnaya Belarus leaflet tells about the conviction of Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, death of Stanislau Shushkevich, missile launches from Belarus, and other issues.
• Thanks to Belarusians’ reports, social media have already blocked 34 propagandists' accounts for inciting hatred and war propaganda, with Telegram blocking seven accounts of GUBOPIK, a regime’s “law enforcement” agency, as each time it kept creating new ones. The Stop Propaganda channel published a list of Belarusians’ achievements – the blocked accounts advocating war and violence against people.
• Coda Story released a piece about Belarusians and the underground publications they create and distribute to counter the regime’s propaganda and share honest information.
• Zerkalo, an independent Belarusian media outlet, released an interview with Sergey Rebrov, a Ukrainian professional football player, who spoke about the genocide of Ukrainians and support from Belarusians, drawing a clear line between the regime and the decent people of Belarus.
• MOST journalists talked to Belarusians volunteering in Ukraine, including in the war zone.

#BelaruswithUkraine