The Kastus Kalinouski regiment, a group opposing Belarus’s support for Russia and named after a 19th-century anti-Russian Belarusian revolutionary, has been fighting alongside the Ukrainian army in hot spots from Kyiv to battles in eastern Ukraine since it was formed in March 2021.
The regiment is made up of hundreds of Belarusians, including former IT workers, crane operators, chefs, and others. They risk facing battlefield danger and may never be able to go home safely again, but the reward is worth it. The Belarusian government shows no leniency to opposition figures, so every member faces the reality that returning to Belarus would likely mean a lengthy prison sentence if their membership in the regiment were discovered.
