“They called It release, but it was forced deportation”

Was there any information in advance about your release?

"No, but there were the usual rumours going around the prison. In their view, I was one of the most influential political prisoners there. Everyone watched to see if I would suddenly be taken away, which would mean something was finally moving. There was even talk that our release might be the result of negotiations with Trump."

How did it all happen?

"At around 11 o'clock in the morning, when we were drinking tea, I was called into the office. A major told me I had five minutes to get ready.

"I asked where we were going; he said he didn't know, and repeated that I had five minutes. So I had no chance to say goodbye to anyone or pack my things. Everything I had was loaded up and taken to the checkpoint at the exit from the zone, where I signed a paper saying that I was being taken to the KGB detention centre. They put handcuffs and a mask on me, loaded my things into the boot and took me from Bobruisk to Minsk."

So you only discovered you were going to Lithuania once you were already on the bus?

"There were twelve of us in the KGB detention centre - actually 13, one of whom was sleeping on the floor. In the morning, they took us all out, loaded us into a minibus and said that we were going to a meeting where everything would be explained, and that our belongings had been loaded.

"We guessed it was probably Lithuania, because the border with Poland was closed at that time. We were constantly accompanied by masked men.

"In the forest, we were transferred from minibuses to buses. As it turned out later, all our documents were confiscated - all correspondence with relatives, all materials related to the criminal case, and most importantly, our passports and even my glucometer for measuring blood sugar. The twelve people who were in the KGB detention centre had no passports. So, it turns out this was forced deportation. And no one explained - and likely will never explain - the illegality of these actions.

"It only became clear when we crossed the Lithuanian border and handed over our documents. They said, "We have passports for some of you, but not for the rest. That information came from the Lithuanian side. We were taken by bus without stopping directly to the Lithuanian border. There, everyone in masks jumped out of the bus, and the bus drove straight to the Lithuanian side, where we were met by Americans and Lithuanians."

Did they explain on what grounds you were being deported to Lithuania?

"No one said anything. Everything was done in secret, and no one told us anything until the very last moment. At the first press conference, it was said that Lukashenko had tricked Trump and the European Union with this deal. It is a violation of international law - to send people away and confiscate their passports.

"The issue must be raised that the passports must be returned. No one has explained on what basis they were confiscated, and no one will.

"Here, we were issued a temporary document for two weeks. We went to the migration department. They probably have experience, for example, with people who came from Ukraine without passports. They issue some kind of paper allowing travel within the European Union."

While in prison, were you completely isolated from events in Belarus? Did you feel support from the international union movement ?

"Information came only through official Russian and Belarusian television, the only channels broadcast. I subscribed to the newspaper Minskaya Pravda. They had interesting journalists, and you could read things between the lines.

"Even while in prison, we received information about the strong support of the international trade union movement for all imprisoned trade union activists. So I'm really greatful to IndustriALL, this indeed helped us survive in such harsh conditions. And as for the brutality we faced, I believe it will ultimately destroy those who unleashed it."

Were you able to communicate with others?

"Communication with politicians was severely punished, and we were all considered troublemakers. While others could buy goods worth 240 roubles in the shop, we could only spend 80.

"Troublemakers were considered villains, and villains were regularly placed in solitary confinement. These punishments were imposed for supposed violations - they could invent anything. You could leave the punishment cell and be sent back there again after two weeks."

Were you isolated from fellow trade unionists?

"I was the only trade unionists in Bobruisk prison. There were some guys from Grodno from Azot who recognised me. Then they were put in a closed cell to isolate them completely. So yes, they made sure I had no contact."

How is your health?

"My health is not good. I have many illnesses. I also developed diabetes in prison. I had planned to have a hernia operation in April 2022, but I was arrested before that. Some good people in prison warned me: if they offer you surgery in Minsk, it may be your last operation. They said people like me could simply be written off as "cardiac arrest". I am grateful to them, they were frank and knowledgeable."

How about your communication with people in Belarus now?

"It is the most difficult thing. If you give an interview, they say you support extremism and they can take your property, which they are doing. Everyone is at risk. You have to think about how to get in touch, which phones to use, not your own. It is not simple. It is like war."

How do you view your trial and imprisonment?

"The authorities invented an "extremist group" in the union and the Leninsky District Court of Brest issued a ruling on this basis, but we never received it. When I asked the KGB about the basis, they had no answer.

"In the end, they gave us nine years. I asked the judge, why not 12, the maximum? She said, 'You are pensioners'. I replied, 'Well, your kindness knows no bounds'."

What did you say when the prison authorities first asked what you would do there?

"The head of operations called me in and asked what I planned to do in prison.

"I said: 'if you give me the task, I can set up a trade union organisation.'

"He was frightened and said, 'What?!, No please don't.'

"I said: I' was joking, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel.'"

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