Before 2020, Olga led an ordinary life: husband, home, and work. She believed in justice and couldn’t stay silent when she saw how brutally the authorities treated dissenters.
“I wrote comments, shared my feelings. Back then it felt like the only thing I could do to avoid burning out from outrage,” Olga recalls. “In March 2022, they came with a search warrant. Took everything – equipment, phones, money. Then came a day in the Minsk temporary detention facility, then the Minsk remand centre, Zhodzina temporary detention centre, and the Homel remand centre. A trial under three articles of the Criminal Code and three years in Homel correctional facility No. 4. For words.”
Five days in a punishment cell in winter, with no warm clothes, no sleep, no medical help, in +15°C – left her with lasting pain in her leg, joint inflammation, and sciatic nerve damage.
“In three years, I didn’t see a dentist once. Now I need to restore my teeth,” she says with sadness.
Olga was released in October 2024, but was placed under preventive supervision: no travel, no going out at night, mandatory weekly check-ins with the police.
“Two weeks later, two men with KGB badges knocked on the door again,” Olga recalls. “Another search, intimidation, and violence with a stun gun.”
When the couple were ordered to pack up, Olga – learning from experience – told her husband to wear as many warm clothes as possible. They avoided arrest, but the interrogation with a stun gun and threats made it clear: they would never be left in peace. They made the urgent decision to flee Belarus.
Now they are in Lithuania: they received humanitarian residence permits and started over from scratch – with no resources and poor health.
“We’re both over 55, and that limits our options in the job market compared to younger people,” Olga says. “But I have something I know and love: for many years, I’ve been making soy wax candles and handmade soap.”
For Olga, the hobby became a livelihood – a way to feel alive. She now dreams of returning to the craft that can help the couple get back on their feet. She needs to purchase basic materials and equipment. The most important thing is a laptop – to showcase her work, communicate with clients, and manage her social media page.
The couple also needs treatment for chronic joint pain, spinal disc herniation, cardiovascular issues, and other consequences of imprisonment and prolonged stress.
“Asking for help is hard, especially when you’ve never asked before. But now I feel a deep trust in the world. My husband and I are not asking for pity – we are asking for solidarity. For the willingness to support those who held out as long as they could, but now need a shoulder to lean on. I want to work with my hands again, to earn, to feel capable. We don’t need much – just enough to stand back up.”
Fundraiser Goal
€3000
€1000 – three months’ rent
€1000 – medical examinations after prison
€1000 – materials and equipment to start her business