Belarusian organizations ask Lithuania to protect Belarusians who fought in Ukraine

VILNIUS – Belarusian organizations in Lithuania are calling on the government and the public to protect Belarusian fighters who fought for Ukraine.

Their appeal follows last week's extradition of Vasil Verameichyk, a Belarusian citizen who fought for Ukraine, to the Minsk regime by Vietnam, where he lived after being denied a residence permit in Lithuania.

"We appeal to the people and government of Lithuania – pay attention to and support veterans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Cases like that of Verameichyk must be made public and dealt with," Veranika Vyhouskaya, director of Polyglot Language Organization, told a news conference.  

"It has to be ensured that none of them are left alone and unprotected," she added.

Verameichyk, an IT worker who served in the Belarusian army, took part in mass protests against Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko in 2020 and was detained for ten days at the time.

The man moved to Ukraine in 2021, and when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, he joined the Kalinouski Regiment, a group of Belarusian volunteers fighting on Kyiv's side. He later left the regiment.

Verameichyk was detained in Vietnam on November 13 and extradited to Belarus the following day.

Before leaving for Vietnam, the man applied for a temporary residence permit in Lithuania, where his wife and daughter live, but his request was denied. According to the Lithuanian State Security Department (SSD), his presence in Lithuania would pose a national security risk.

According to BNS sources, the SSD assessment was based not only on Verameichyk's service in the Belarusian military, but also on his alleged ties to hostile intelligence services, which posed a threat to the national security of Lithuania and Ukraine.

The SSD declined to comment officially on the case.

The Belarusian organizations submitted a petition to the parliament and the Justice and Interior Ministries, urging the Migration Department to review Verameichyk's case and ensure that the case of each Belarusian applying for a residence permit in Lithuania is assessed individually.

They also proposed initiating a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia to secure Verameichyk's transfer to Kyiv.

"We're here today because our friend Vasil Verameichyk is now in prison," Nataliya Kolegova, director of Dapamoga NGO, told the press conference.

Vyhouskaya said Verameichyk's case illustrates the situation facing Belarusians who fought in Ukraine and should lead to a shift toward "more humane" treatment.

According to her, Belarusians who fought for Ukraine are under constant threat from Russian and Belarusian intelligence services, and the safest refuge for them is within the European Union.

"These people are real heroes. They stood on the front lines against the aggressor, fighting not only for Ukraine's freedom but for the freedom of the entire region. Without them, our path to a free Belarus is impossible. Surely, you want us to eventually leave here," said the Polyglot director.

"We want to make sure this doesn't happen again," she added.

Vyhouskaya said that it is also important to talk about the psychological state of war veterans in Lithuania.

"Several veterans have taken their own lives here in Lithuania because they didn't receive the necessary support and assistance," she said. 

Aliaksandr "Kus" Klachko, chairman of the National Security Coordination Council Commission, described Verameichyk's case as "the tip of the iceberg", noting that many Belarusians who fought in Ukraine are struggling to receive asylum or adequate support in Lithuania and Poland.

Klachko said he himself fought in Ukraine and met Verameichyk in the trenches.

"I'm someone who doesn't hide his beliefs and views. I fought against imperialism, but I'm facing the same situation. It's been ten months, and I still can't get a residence permit (in Lithuania), even though I have a disability related to my defending of Ukraine," the man said.

"We want to be understood both by our society and the countries we go to," he added.

Verameichyk's wife, Yauheniya Verameichyk, was expected to attend the press conference but decided not to due to feeling unwell, according to Belarusian organization representatives.