‘We Swam Across The River, Found A Hole In The Fence And Realized That Lithuania Was There’

A woman from Minsk fled from Belarus in her fifth month of pregnancy.

The story that changed the life of Marya from Minsk [the name was changed at the request of the heroine - ed.] began in 2020. She had to go through the courts, hide from political persecution in several Russian cities, and, in her fifth month of pregnancy, swim across the river to seek asylum in Lithuania.

Maria is 24 years old. She shared her story with Charter97.org:

“Let's start with 2020. On that day, it was already autumn, I was sitting at work and stumbled upon the Punishers of Belarus group on Telegram, where they posted photos of these ‘subenforcers’. There was a picture of people standing against the wall, their hands behind their backs, and two policemen nearby.

I was very outraged by this, I commented on the picture that people were standing as before the execution, and the same thing should be done with the enforcers that they are doing with the Belarusians. After that, I began to comment on almost every photo writing that security officials, let's say, were bad people.

After about 1.5-2 months, in the winter of 2020, they came to detain me right at the store where I was working. True, I was not there, I was undergoing a medical examination in a hospital. Then the security forces came to the hospital to ‘interrogate’ me. There was nowhere to run, they surrounded the hospital. It's good that I managed to get rid of the mobile phone. So I ended up in a local Police Department. I spent two days in a temporary detention facility and signed travel restriction papers.”

Trials: from probation and to detention in an open type institution

“Two months later was the first trial. A criminal case was opened against me under Article 369 of the Criminal Code (“Insulting representatives of the authorities”) and they sentenced me to a year and three months of probation. By the way, they also confiscated my phone as ‘in profit of state’ and also I was to pay two thousand rubles of ‘compensation’ to two ‘subenforcers’ who ‘suffered’. About six months of my probation passed. The investigator said that they found some more of my comments. The second cour also sentenced me to probation.

The third trial was in December 2021 in Mahiliou. By the way, the judge who was included in the EU sanctions issued the verdict against me during this trial. The prosecutor was a very young guy as if he had just finished the 11th grade of school. He requested a year and six months of restriction of liberty in an open type institution, the judge supported him.

When I heard the verdict, I panicked, I realized that this was not the end. Then I asked BYSOL to help me. They said I needed to run. I understood that an open type institution is the beginning and then a penal colony will follow. They will find all sorts of offenses in order to send a person to the ShIZO [a punishment cell - Ed.].

A month after the trial, the inspector who was checking me called and said: “A paper has come about you, come on.” I was sent to Hrodna.”

“Do your best but keep your passport with you”

“BYSOL asked me not to give my passport to the police in any case: ‘Do your best but keep your passport with you.’ I promised to try. When I went to the police, I was repeating in my mind: “Not to give them my passport, to make up anything, to say that I forgot or lost it.” I don't know what was driving me. ‘Give me your passport, you need to make a copy,’ an officer said. And I just took it out and gave it away. I don't know if it was stress, fear, or something else.

They gave me a temporary certificate (A4 document) instead of my passport and said: ‘You will get your passport back in Hrodna after the end of your term.’

I was panicking when leaving this place. I immediately wrote to the supervisor from BYSOL that I had given them my passport. They began to assure me, they gave 100% guarantees that they were taking people out even without passports. ‘Don’t worry, people are running from the open type institutions without any documents, and we are taking them out.” In general, they told me that they would help me and that they would take me out. The supervisor said that it would be necessary to hide for some time in Russia. They found a partner for me. His name was Aliaksandr [the name is changed - Ed.] and he had a passport so that it would be easier to rent an apartment in the Russian Federation.”

“We left in the winter by a minibus with migrant workers”

“It was not easy to take the last step. It was scary to leave my parents and my beloved Ivan [the name is changed - Ed.] and it was not clear where to run. It was 2022. One winter day when no one was at home, I packed my baggage and left.

My partner and I left in the winter of 2022 by a minibus with guest workers from Vitebsk. We were taken to Smolensk through the forest, bypassing the border control. We spent a day in Smolensk and then went to Voronezh, where we rented an apartment. Unfortunately, at that time I did not know about the existence of such an organization as Dapamoha [a Belarusian-Lithuanian fund - ed.], but only about BYSOL and Viasna.

BYSOL told us: "There is no way, wait." A week or two later, my partner Aliaksandr was taken to Ukraine (it was before the war), since he had a passport. I was left completely alone in the apartment, without the opportunity to communicate with loved ones, there was only the supervisor, and I could write to him.

The second month has passed in Russia. I took all my savings with me, but it turned out to be expensive to rent an apartment alone, so I had to move to another Russian city, where the housing was paid for. True, I was also alone there, which was not easy.

“Some people started ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door”

After some time, BYSOL said that a new partner was coming to me, who was also without id 200,000 documents. We were living together with him in this apartment until we saw the utility bills. Although the apartment was paid for, it had a debt of Russian rubles [more than 1900 euro - Ed.]. I will say that my curator from BYSOL did not know about this (if he was telling the truth), although BYSOL was aware of the debt.

After the utility bill, they began to ring and knock on the door. At such moments, we simply froze or walked silently. It was very scary. We were afraid to go outside.

Later, the flat owner asked us to move out. We started looking for accommodation in other cities. It also turned out that I was pregnant by my boyfriend, who stayed in Belarus and was very worried about me. By the way, the enforcers were coming to my parents and even to my boyfriend’s parents every week. They were looking for me. They said that they also “dug up” some comments. It turns out that I made the decision to run away was correct.

I found out that I am pregnant and called my supervisor and said that I needed to be taken out urgently. I understood that I would not be able to see any doctor without documents in Russia as well as to take tests or do an ultrasound examination. The supervisor asked me again to 'wait a week or two' to 'work something out'.

At that moment, the partner said that he did not believe BYSOL and would look for ways out on his own. He began to write to many people, knock on every door and learned about Dapamoha. I sat and waited, believed in guarantees and hoped. I was crying and praying all the time in Russia. ‘There are no ways, but we are looking for,' the supervisor was telling me all the time.”

“Giving your passport and escaping was not the best decision in your life”

It's already been five months. I did not know what was happening to my child for a long time. I was living and hoping that everything would be fine with the child. I realized that my child was alive only after I felt it moving.

I told the supervisor that I did not know what was happening with my child for five months. You gave me guarantees, promised, and he told me: 'Giving your passport and escaping was not the best decision in your life.' Then I was so “crazy” about it. I realized that I need to look for a way out on my own. Sitting and waiting was fruitless.

I began to appeal to various organizations: Vaisna HRC, Tsikhanouskaya’s headquarters and journalists. I asked them for help, everyone answered that they could not help, they advised me to contact BYSOL. I also wrote to Dapamoha, but they were verifying me for a long time, because I had no acquaintances abroad, and they have tight control. I understand them.

Then I remembered Aliaksandr. We fled from Belarus together. He was already in Sweden at that time. I wrote that I needed help. He agreed, and after that, Natallia Kalehava [the head of the Dapamoha Foundation - Ed.] called me and said that she could help me. Aliaksandr confirmed my identity. Then I was very happy. After all, I no longer believed that anyone would really help me after my bad experience.

I will say that for all the months in Russia, I was studying maps, looking for the best paths to go, and studying the locations of the narrowest rivers.

Dapamoha introduced me and Dzima, a political prisoner, with whom, as a result, we fled to Lithuania together. We got in touch and he told me where and what time I should be. However, we should have returned to Belarus before the escape.”

Way back to Belarus

“It was already summer. By that time, I already lived in the fourth city of the Russian Federation. The sixth month of pregnancy was coming.

I wrote to the supervisor from BYSOL: ‘I’m tired of your promises. I will go to Lithuania on my own, I will swim or jump. My baby is moving, but I don't know what's wrong with it.’ His only response was: ‘Try it.’.

Nevertheless, they helped me at least return to Belarus. I had to make a part of the way by BlaBlaCar, and everything did not go according to plan from the very beginning.

I ordered the first car to Moscow at 10 o'clock in the evening. The time has come, but the car did not. It turned out that they did not notice me and had already travelled several kilometers. When I called the driver, he returned, picked me up, but I was late for the next booked ride. I was going to get to the desired Russian border village by the next car. At that moment, I thought that it was the end and that the plan failed.

Suddenly, I found another car on the BlaBlaCar app. I quickly booked it and arrived at the place. Guides met me and took me through a forest to Belarus. I would say that the most terrible thing for me was the return to Belarus.

In Pastavy (Vitebsk region) I met Dzima and his friend. It was about eight in the evening, it was getting dark. He told me about our route, that it would be necessary to swim across the river. By my calculations, I was about six months pregnant, but apparently, due to the fact that I was nervous and crying a lot, my belly was not so big.

Then the three of us went by taxi to a border village. We told the taxi driver that we were going to barbecue with friends. The whole trip was scary. We were afraid that he would call the border guards and disclose us.

By that time, I had been on my feet for two days already, I didn’t sleep at all due to stress. We walked further to the border. All the time we had to sit down and look closely so that not a single car noticed us. We crept across a field of short grass. The distance was quite short but I had so much adrenaline that it seemed like we went through all this in a minute.”

“I suddenly felt peace in my soul when I saw the border guards”

“The river was in a field. It was July and the weather was warm. Dzima got ready, took my backpack and put it in a waterproof bag. Then he began to look for the best way to enter the river. His friend acted decisively: parted the reeds with his hands and swam.

I followed his friend. There was no time to undress, so we swam in our clothes. The distance was short - 30-50 meters. I swim well, so I was not afraid. We ran into a fence on the other side of the river and walked along it. There were nettles, barbed wire and water all around. We were walking, stumbling and falling from time to time. I was very scared not for myself but for my child.

At some point, we noticed a 'hole in the fence'. We've been through it. There were border posts. It was clear - this is Lithuania. We calmed down and changed into dry clothes. It was already around midnight.

At that moment, we saw a border patrol vehicle that was driving in our direction. We waved to them, they drove up to us. I suddenly felt peace in my soul when I saw the border guards. They asked us to show the place we came from and to show our documents to them. The border guards were surprised that I did not have a passport, but I showed my temporary id document.

We went to the outpost with them. They warmed and fed us. I really wanted to sleep, the second day on my feet. The kids wanted to sleep. As a result, we were interrogated and sent to the cells. The cell did not look like a cell: warm blankets, a soft mattress, pillows, a kettle. They welcomed us well.

When I said that I was pregnant, the border guards replied: 'Are you really pregnant? And swim across the river?' I asked if they had a doctor. They answered: 'If you feel bad, we will call an ambulance.' But I was fine.

The next day, an investigator and a lawyer arrived. They opened a case for illegal crossing, but since I asked for asylum, the case was closed.

They spent two days at the outpost. There we were feeling free: we could take a shower and walk there. Then Dapamoha took the guys away, and I went to a refugee camp. I thought I could get medical help. I expected that there were many Belarusians and Ukrainians there, but it turned out that there were only people from the East around.

They had their own rules of communication. It was not easy to be in such a place after my hard experience. So, I called Natallia in Dapamoha and asked her to take me to her.

I was shocked that Natallia came to my camp that day with a mentor and assured me that they would take me out tomorrow. It was hard for me to believe this after the situation in Russia.

But the next day, Natallia really came and took me to the Zamok Belarusian House. I was really happy about that.

Dapamoha saved not only me but also my dear little son. I am very grateful to the foundation and personally to Natallia. I was living in Dapamoha for about two months, and it was the most wonderful time in the last six months of my life.

Natallia is a person of words and deeds. I would like to tell everyone not to waste your time and nervous system with BYSOL, but to contact Dapamoha.

I calmed down in Vilnius. I stopped crying all the time, started eating better, and literally in two weeks my belly grew. Everyone wondered how this was possible. I passed the first ultrasound examination only at the sixth month of pregnancy, and I passed the tests already at the seventh. Thank God my baby is healthy.

Then I rented an apartment, my beloved Ivan came to me, and after a while, my son was born. This is a magical baby who made me act, not sit and wait.

We were together with my boyfriend during the childbirth. Everything was perfect. The birth attendants were great.

I’m living in a free country now. I’m building a new life with my little son. My baby and I were granted refugee status. Here I do not tremble at the sight of the police, I do not catch panic attacks. I'm so happy now, my family is here.”

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