"Who Guarantees You Today That You Will Pass Control?" How Belarusians Get From Poland To Their Homeland Via Georgia And Russia
Artsiom lives in Poland, Maksim does too. Both periodically have to travel to Belarus. But they choose a long way home — via Georgia and Russia, to avoid crossing the Belarusian-Polish border. Neither of the men has criminal cases opened against them in their homeland, but they still try to minimize risks. They told the Most publication about their routes, and the editorial board discussed these routes with a representative of the Bysol organization.
From Warsaw — to Kutaisi, and from there — to Moscow
Artsiom's work in Poland involves frequent travel across EU countries. He decided not to apply for a residence permit: waiting for legalization takes too long. Instead, he periodically travels to his hometown to get a work visa.
Artsiom has already flown several times from Warsaw to Kutaisi, from there to Moscow, and from Moscow, he took a bus to Minsk. The entire journey takes him about a day and a half. The cost of the trip varies. But if he manages to catch inexpensive tickets, he keeps it within 300 euros.
"I try to choose trips during the low season, then you can save a lot on flights," says the Belarusian.
Artsiom has no formal obstacles to returning to his homeland. No criminal case has been opened against him in Belarus, although he did participate in street protests. But he still fears crossing the Belarusian-Polish border.
"Who guarantees you today that you will pass border control without problems? From the experience of my friends and acquaintances, I know that you can always find some comment or like," Artsiom explains why he chooses this particular route.
From Warsaw — to Kaliningrad
Maksim has been living in Poland for almost ten years. Previously, he used to visit his homeland once a year, or even more often — to visit relatives. Living in a Polish city, he went to vote in August 2020, and then for some time participated in protest actions in Poland. When Belarusian security forces announced that they would initiate criminal cases against everyone participating in protests outside the country, Maksim stopped traveling to Belarus. Until his grandmother became seriously ill.
"I wanted to make it to her, to be with her and, if anything, to say goodbye. I started to find out how one could travel to Belarus safely. There were several options: via Georgia, Istanbul, Yerevan, and others. But the option via Kaliningrad suited me best."
The route turned out as follows: a bus from Warsaw to Kaliningrad, and then a train to Moscow. Then from Moscow, Maksim got to his hometown by marshrutka (minibus). The journey took more than two days. The man does not remember the exact cost of the tickets, but the entire journey cost him approximately 250-300 euros.
"A case might appear as soon as the security forces learn of your presence in Belarus"
Most asked Dzmitry Yahorau, a representative of the Bysol organization, how safe such routes are and what risks Belarusians who use them face.
— "Our organization's position, based on the current situation, is that we recommend refraining from traveling to Belarus, especially for those who participated in protests. Whether you travel via Georgia, Russia — it still doesn't guarantee safety, including at the border. The security forces of Belarus and Russia actively cooperate, exchange data, and have common databases. Interrogations at the border in the form of reviewing phone content are the easiest type of trouble. Even if you are unaware of a criminal case against you, it can appear as soon as the Belarusian security forces learn of your presence in Belarus: exit will be blocked, you might be immediately searched for or detained if you try to leave the country."
— You mentioned that a criminal case might appear after a person is already in Belarus. Can you explain how this happens in practice?
— "We have cases from the Evacuation Service, and not just one. They are very typical and repeat, which indicates a system. A person crosses the border, and control passes without surprises. However, a "flag" is triggered in the border databases, information about the border crossing reaches the security forces. A criminal case is then initiated."
— How does such a "flag" appear?
— "Let's say the security forces have information about several people's participation in a neighborhood Telegram chat in 2020 or in protests. Investigators check who they can reach, who is in Belarus, and involve them in a criminal case. The rest — for example, if someone has left — remain on the list. The system is triggered specifically for them when they return to the country.
Automatically, their exit is prohibited, and investigators calmly, without rushing, open a new case, search for the person, and detain them. If someone arrived in Belarus without problems for a couple of days, and upon exit it turned out that they are barred from leaving, even though there were no summons or calls — most likely, they simply haven't been reached yet. In such a situation, it is advisable to leave the country (this refers to doing so through the Evacuation Service, which organizes such escapes. — Most's note)."
— If a person still decides to go, despite your recommendation to refrain, are there any basic things one should know in advance: whom to inform among relatives, whom to contact in case of detention?
— "We recommend not to travel to Belarus, so we will not provide any safety recommendations regarding the trip, as they do not offer any guarantee but might create the illusion that the situation is under control and it's more or less safe to go if Bysol's recommendations are followed. Our recommendation is to refrain from traveling. This is a risk; the price could be imprisonment, torture, ruined health."
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