29 March 2024, Friday, 15:01
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Sławomir Sierakowski: Belarusian Volunteers Are Similar To Polish Legions in World War I

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Sławomir Sierakowski: Belarusian Volunteers Are Similar To Polish Legions in World War I
Sławomir Sierakowski

The Kalinouski Regiment is already threatening Lukashenka's power.

At the end of June, Polish journalist and publicist Slawomir Serakovsky announced a fundraiser to donate the Turkish Bayraktar drone to Ukraine. In an interview with Charter97.org, he spoke about the progress of the initiative, which Belarusians have also joined:

— Fundraising is intensive. Surprisingly, despite rising inflation, Poles have actively joined this initiative. This is in a situation where in the fifth month of the war there are no special events, such as the heroic defence of Mariupol, for example. Actually, more than 18 million zlotys ($3.84 million) have already been collected, which is about 80% of the necessary amount. About 160 thousand people have made donations, many of them several times. I think the initiative is going rather well.

— When the war began, ordinary Poles actively joined in helping the Ukrainians. Where does this solidarity come from, despite the fact that Polish-Ukrainian history is rather complicated?

— This is true, but it is important to understand two things. First, it is clear that this solidarity arose from a common threat. The Poles remember their history and know what Russia is. We do not have illusions about this state. That is the reason for such active cooperation with the Ukrainian people. Also, the Poles understand that they can be next if Ukraine fails to defend its independence.

And the other obvious thing is that there has been a fundamental and mental change in Poland regarding the eastern policy. The author of the modern eastern policy of Poland is Jerzy Giedroyc, a native of Minsk. He is the author of the wording: "There will be no independent Poland without independent Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania". This is the main point of our foreign policy, which shows well the changes in Polish-Ukrainian relations. We no longer want to conflict with each other, we want to cooperate to counter threats from Russia together.

— Have the Belarusians in Poland actively joined your initiative?

— Belarusians of Poland are active. Special account for them is one of the largest. Most likely, Belarusians will be able to collect more than 100 thousand zlotys. Even now it is more than 70 thousand in their money box. This is a very good result, given the number of Belarusians in Poland and their material condition.

The leaders of the Belarusian opposition in Poland, Belarusian journalists and media also joined the fundraising. Such active support helps not only the Ukrainian society but also the Belarusian. Our action shows that Belarusians support Ukraine, despite the fact that Lukashenka is Putin's ally.

— Do the Polish media and society distinguish between the Lukashenka regime and the Belarusian people?

— The media do not doubt which side the Belarusians are on. But society sometimes lacks this understanding. There are misunderstandings arising from the fact that Poles sometimes mistakenly associate Belarusians with the personality of Lukashenka.

Some of our citizens have forgotten the protests of 2020, they are not following the events in Belarus carefully, and they do not know the real attitude of Belarusians toward the dictatorial regime. That is why there are incidents sometimes.

— Today, Belarusian volunteers are fighting on the side of Ukraine and their goal is the liberation of Belarus. Do they have a chance to become such a force for our country as the legions of Piłsudski, who returned independence to Poland in 1918?

— That was my first thought when I saw reports that Belarusian volunteer units were operating in Ukraine. They are very effective and pose a strong threat to the Lukashenka regime.

The threat will become even greater if the Belarusian army is sent to Ukraine. The number of armed Belarusians capable of opposing Lukashenka will increase in this case. Therefore, he does not want the Belarusian army to fight in Ukraine, he is afraid of it.

— How do you assess the potential for future relations between Ukraine, Poland and a free Belarus?

I am optimistic about this. Belarusians can count on the acceptance of Poland, on our help and support, the same with Ukrainians. This follows from one simple principle: Poland strengthens its security when it cooperates with Ukrainians and Belarusians. Only Russia is interested in confrontation.

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