Statement of the BNYC “RADA” regarding the death of Aliaksei Lazarau
The Belarusian National Youth Council “RADA” expresses its deepest condolences to the family, relatives, and friends of Aliaksei Lazarau, who was killed in Ukraine. We share the pain of this loss and bow our heads in respect for his courage. This is a profound loss for everyone who knew Aliaksei and for the Belarusian community.
Unfortunately, for several years now, we — young Belarusians — have been paying for decisions made without our voice and against our interests with our safety, our plans, and our future. Our generation has gone through violence and repression since 2020, through prisons and torture, forced exile, and separation from home. And now we are living through this war, which continues to take young lives.
We express our full solidarity with Ukrainian youth. Today, young Ukrainians are paying the highest possible price for the right to live in their own country without occupation, for the right to choice, language, culture, and a future. We see their pain, their resilience, and their daily efforts — on the frontline, in volunteering, in education, and in everyday life under shelling — and we consider it our responsibility to stand with them, support them, and speak out clearly and loudly.
We once again stress that “RADA” strongly condemns the war and the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine. This is a war that takes the lives of Ukrainians, as well as Belarusians who have chosen the side of freedom and democratic values. Aliaksei Lazarau has become yet another example of a Belarusian who gave his life for a free Ukraine.
Special responsibility for the continuation of this war lies with the Lukashenka regime, which has made Belarus complicit in the aggression. The territory of Belarus, its infrastructure, and state resources have been and continue to be used to support Russian military actions. This is both political and practical complicity. It is also a crime against Belarusian society — and especially against young people, who are held hostage by the decisions of an illegitimate власть, forced to live in an atmosphere of fear, isolation, and uncertainty, losing opportunities and being driven into exile.
We demand an immediate end to Russia’s military aggression, support Ukraine in its right to self-defence, and call on the international community to continue supporting Ukraine and to increase pressure on the aggressor and its accomplices. Without an end to this war, and without accountability for it and for participation in it, neither security in Europe nor a future for Belarusian youth is possible.
Eternal memory to Aliaksei Lazarau.
Glory to Ukraine!
Long live Belarus!
