to uncover
Why I write about Belarus
Belarus is a European country with a European heritage. Writers, musicians, philosophers and religious thinkers from this region had been part of European mainstream culture since the Middle Ages. This was stopped a little over 200 years ago when it became part of the Russian empire.
These days, Belarus appears in and out of the Western media when Belarusians express their discontent and when the authorities crack down against them, either directed by, or with the support of, the Kremlin.
The fate of my ancestors exemplifies how Moscow sought to impose its will by destroying lives.
One family, one century
My grandfather had three brothers and two sisters. Their fates were by no means unique.
Jan
Killed fighting the Bolsheviks. His grave lies in Shcharkoshina, northern Belarus.
Marian
Taken in the purges and never heard of again.
Adam
A noted scientist and member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, arrested and shot in Leningrad.
Two sisters
Both perished during the Siege of Leningrad in the Second World War.
Stanislav
The author’s grandfather — arrested in Vilnius, accused of fighting the Bolsheviks and of being a landowner.
Danuta
The author’s aunt, deported as a child with her father and brother. Her memoir is told on this blog.
Almost every family in this area of the world has similar stories of indiscriminate tragedy. However, most people in the former Soviet Union are not aware of their family histories: years ago, those who survived were too afraid to talk about it.
“Now they are no longer alive, and the memories of the executions, deportations and suffering are gone with them — replaced with the Kremlin’s narrative.”— Alan Adamou
In the Soviet and post-Soviet narrative, the victims are forgotten as if they had never existed. This blog exists to tell their stories — and to help readers understand Belarus on its own terms.