Belarusian-born Mikhail Zhyzneuski was buried in a cemetery near the village Stsiag Pratsy (Flag of Labour), Homel region. The funeral service was to have started at 12 but a car transporting his body to his native country did not cross the border until 7 pm: for unknown reasons, Belarusian border officers’ control had lasted a considerable time. Moreover, they were apprehensive about special forces’ persecution, his friends say.
‘Belarus is burying its heroes in the darkness’
About 40 persons – Mikhail’s relatives, friends, civil activists – came to the funeral. They had to bury him after the sunset. The grave was lit with dim lights. ‘Belarus is burying its heroes in the darkness,’ activist Kastus Zhukouski said.
A lot of people turned up to the cemetery in time, at 12. In spite of piercing wind cold and being kept in suspence they had been waiting patiently until the coffin holding the body was brought: the indifferent wanted to pay the last tribute to Mikhail, a hero and victim of Maidan, and lay him to rest in his home country.
{movie}RIP: Belarusian Mikhail Zhyznevski killed in Kyiv clashes laid to rest. |right|14525{/movie}
Final farewell in Belarusian
The pall was taken to the cemetery at 19.30. Mikhail’s mother was crying: ‘Sn, where are you going? It’s me who should have died, not you. I don’t want to live…’
When Father Leanid Akalovich, a priest of the Belarusian autocephalous church, said the last rites in the Belarusian language and the last good-bye was spoken, the pall covered with a white-red-white flag was lowered into the ground.
Mikhail’s father expressed doubt that Ukraine’s authorities would carry out an impartial investigation and detect the murderers.
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Mikhail ‘Loki’ Zhyzneuski was killed by a gunshot to the chest on January 22, 2013 in Hrushevskoho Street in central Kyiv. He was a member of an organization called Vitali Klitschko’s Youth Team.
