Zaryn: Belarusians are fleeing the country

2022-06-17 11:54 update: 2022-06-17, 14:42
Stanislaw Zaryn, fot. PAP/Pawel Supernak
Stanislaw Zaryn, fot. PAP/Pawel Supernak
In recent months, Belarus has seen a huge increase in the scale of emigration. Belarusians are looking for a safe haven in other states - said Polish Press Agency Stanislaw Zaryn, spokesperson for the minister-coordinator of special services. People are fleeing the country.

The Lukashenko regime is aware of the problems that have been growing since 2020 - PAP was told by Stanislaw Zaryn,

"The scale of migration from Belarus is serious. In 2020, according to Eurostat data, more than 60,000 people who fled Belarus arrived in European Union countries. The vast majority went to Poland, although we are not the only destination. Other interesting countries for Belarusians are Lithuania, Germany and the Czech Republic. Recently, Georgia has also been mentioned" - the spokesman told PAP.

In his opinion, Belarusians are fleeing from the increasingly difficult situation in Belarus, mass repressions of the regime, terrible living conditions. "They are also affraid of Belarusian participation in the war against Ukraine. Young people are aware of the direction in which Lukashenko is pushing Belarus and how far he has made the country dependent on Russia" - he said.

"People of conscription age are fleeing for fear of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. As they are not sure whether they will not be sent to the front if Lukashenko joins in the Russian aggression" - he stressed.

In Zaryn's opinion, the scale of emigration from Belarus has made the problem visible even to the authorities in Minsk. "Lukashenko's regime officially downplays the phenomenon and pretends not to notice it, but the Belarusian authorities carry out actions aimed at making it difficult for Belarusian citizens to leave the country. During their education, young people are forced to sign 'loyalty papers' ensuring that they will not leave the country" - the spokesman told PAP.

Special services are assigned to control emigration. They catch and detain people with specialized education or extensive experience who want to flee. 

According to the press spokesman of the minister coordinator of secret services, the behavior of Lukashenko's regime indicates that the authorities in Belarus are increasingly concerned about the scale of emigration from the country. Not surprisingly, many Western countries are interested in helping the Belarusian people, who in recent years have been fleeing repression and looking for a safe place to live. One of such places is Poland, which still runs a special program making it easier for people fleeing Belarus to move their businesses to Poland.

"Lukashenko's regime knows that Belarus is bleeding, losing thousands of citizens year after year. The scale of this phenomenon makes the authorities in Minsk terrified of a mass exodus. However, the response of the Belarusian despot is further strengthening of repressions and an attempt to detain citizens by force, which will additionally cause an increase in emigration" - said Zaryn.

(PAP)

Author: Aleksander Główczewski

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