‘I fight for Uncle Vladimir’: Would-have-been wall painter from Belarus joins pro-Russian separatists
Jounalists have identified another citizen of Belarus who is fighting on the side of Russian-backed militants.
Alyaksei Markulevich, a resident of the village of Vyalemichy (Stolin district) went to fight in Donbas in February. Six months before his departure Alyaksei quit the Belarusian army, where he served in the 11th Mechanized Brigade, obozrevatel.com reports.
According to his page at Russian social network vk.vom, after the service he tried to get a job of a painter at the construction site, but later changed his mind and decided to become a mercenary. He is on the side of separatists and does not hesitate to publish photos of the seized city of Donetsk.
Alyaksei says that he is fighting ‘for Father [Belarus president Lukashenka] and Uncle Vova [Vladimir Putin]’. He also posted a picture that shows him trampling the flag of Ukraine.
Belsat.eu has contacted the young man. Markulevich asks to switсh into Russian from Belarusian, and say that he has been in Donbas for 4 months. He is fighting on the side of the so called Donetsk republic as a stormtrooper and reconnaissance man. According to Alyaksei, he has not met Belarusians during this time.
Alyaksei Markulevich: Everyone should remember their history. The Ukrainians have not only forgotten it, they are redrawing it in their own way … but it is our our grandfathers that were making it! And I do not want us to be spoken ill of somewhere. They have stopped remember the heroes whom we remember. Bandera has become a hero for them.
Belsat: You say you have forgotten the Belarusian language. And how do you treat those who speak it?
Very nicely! I am glad that at least someone remembers Belarusian!
Would like to remember and study the native language again? And will you fight for the independence of Belarus if such need arises?
Our nation is already independent, but in case of danger for the Belarusians I’ll make a stand for them.
Why didn’t you find a job at home? Why did you go to war?
I had a job, and, perhaps, a brighter future ahead of me. But I could not ditch the brotherly people, I arrived to help them. And it turned out that I had learned it well in Belarus how to help at war.
Belarusians are fighting on the both sides of the conflict in Ukraine. Belsat TV has recently visited a training camp of the regiment ‘Azov’ in Kyiv.
