Andrei Sharenda: Belarusian-Participated Action Brought Entire Russia To Its Knees

Who became the main hero of the past year?

The actions of Belarusian partisans in 2023 can be considered as the main event of the outgoing year. This opinion was expressed in an interview with the website Charter97.org by Andrei Sharenda, an activist of the European Belarus civil campaign, the husband of political prisoner Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk.

— Do you know where Palina is now?

— I know that in December she was transferred from pre-trial detention center #3 of Homel to the “place of serving her sentence,” as they explained to us in the pre-trial detention center itself. Most likely, it will again be colony #4 in Zarechhcha. This is already Palina’s second trip to a place that is known for its strict and harsh attitude towards political prisoners.

It was there that my wife spent more than 200 days in a punishment cell over the last year alone. For Palina, another “Groundhog Year” is actually beginning with new challenges.

— If you sum up the results of the year, what main events would you highlight?

— The most important thing for me is that Belarusians continue to fight. It was personified by the sabotage organized by Belarusian patriots in Machulishchy. This event showed very well that Belarusians continue to struggle in all possible ways, including partisan ones.

Let me remind you that as a result of that successful military action at the Machulishchy airfield, a Russian A-50 aircraft was damaged. It is clear that Belarusians played the biggest role in it.

By the way, it is worth remembering the spectacular sabotage that brought almost all of Russia to its knees. I mean the sabotage on the Baikal-Amur Mainline in Buryatia, in which our compatriots also participated. This once again emphasizes that Belarusians want to contribute to the victory over the world's evil, which Russia now personifies.

The fact that Belarusians continue to fight can be seen from the messages of the Belarusian special services, which allegedly fight “terrorists” all the time.

— Who are the main heroes of this year for you?

— Unfortunately, the past year was also difficult for Belarusians. For me, the main heroes were those people who are no longer with us. These are our Belarusian volunteers fighting for the freedom of Ukraine and Belarus on the battlefield. First of all, Eduard Lobau and Miraslau Lazouski. These are real patriots who have written their names in history.

It is worth remembering our famous artist and national figure Ales Pushkin. His contribution to the liberation of Belarus is also very valuable, and this is truly the year of those people who died fighting for Belarus.

You know, I am inspired by our volunteers and political prisoners. For example, Dzianis Urbanovich, who continues to fight with five wounds.

Many of our political prisoners, even being in complete isolation (incommunicado), continue their struggle. For example, my wife Palina, Mikalai Statkevich, Ihar Losik, Pavel Seviarynets and dozens of others. It is important that these names sound every day and are heard by the whole world.

— What can Belarusians rely on in this difficult time?

— In recent years, Belarusians have shown that they can unite. Many were forced to leave the country, we were scattered all over the world. But we also help each other abroad financially, with advice and solutions. I will say that you can come anywhere in the world and find help and housing without any problems.

I would like to emphasize that, first of all, Belarusians must rely on themselves. And we do this well without “offices”, “cabinets” and so on.

Belarusians have also united within the country. It only seems that the struggle in the country has died down, but in reality it has not. Belarusians are still in contact with each other, but now they are simply hiding.

I repeat, we must rely on our own strengths, our desire for freedom. As they say, saving drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves.

The Lukashenka regime needs to continue to put pressure on it. This year the government in Poland changed. I have hope that it will act more radically against the dictator. The key to the release of all political prisoners is very simple — you need to close the borders for the transit of goods from Belarus. I am sure that this simple step will bring the dictator to his knees in front of his so-called allies: Russia, China and Kazakhstan.

He will simply be forced to make concessions. It is important for all of us to fight for every person who is behind bars in the clutches of Lukashenka. Let me emphasize that it is important that their names are heard by the whole world.

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