What made Mikita Mielkaziorau — Belarus' most popular interviewer — memorable
Mikita Mielkaziorau went a long way from a football journalist to one of Belarus' most successful interviewers. He suddenly passed away on the night of December 21, 2025.
Mikita Mielkaziorau. Photo: Belsat
Born in Khabarovsk, but grew up in Minsk
Mikita spent the first five years of his life in Russia. Afterwards, his mother brought him to Minsk to her parents, while she herself returned to Khabarovsk for a year to finalize her divorce and complete her master's degree.
Mikita last spoke to his father at the age of 11 — he called himself to ask for permission to travel abroad. Ultimately, he only communicated with his grandmother from his father's side of the family.
There weren't many memories of the Russian period of his life: «My dad was the chairman of the Khabarovsk Komsomol; he was even shown on TV in Soviet times. And then he started doing business, importing right-hand drive cars from Asia. I remember there was a lot of caviar, red fish, which I love. My mom told me that there was a three-liter jar of caviar with a spoon stuck in it in their staff room, and no one ate it.»
Considered a career as a football player
Until the 10th grade, Mikita played football in the Youth Sports School. He said he had diligence, but no real talent. Plus, he lacked the courage and audacity to break through. In the changing rooms, he would finish reading Dostoevsky, and the guys didn't understand that.
As a result, the young man decided to give up his football dreams and began preparing to enter the Faculty of Journalism at BSU.
In his youth, Mikita had problems with addiction. However, he managed to take control of the situation and eventually completely gave up alcohol.
Mikita started his career as a sports journalist. He worked at the newspaper «Vsyo pro futbol» (Everything about Football), on the internet portal «Tribuna», then moved to Onliner.by.
But he continued to play football at an amateur level in adulthood. He was the captain of the Belarusian Association of Journalists' football team, playing as a central defender on the field.
Didn't shy away from calling himself a neophyte
Mikita honestly admitted that he was not at all interested in politics before 2020:
«I'm one of those people they call unbelievable or neophytes. And yes, until 2020, I was quite indifferent to what was happening with the country. Now I'm discovering my ability to be proud of the Belarusian language and enjoy its use and sound. And also to feel a certain strength from new knowledge about the history of my country.»
He generally didn't worry much about what people thought of him. Mikita said: «I'm not afraid of not knowing — I'm afraid I won't want to find out. After interviews, I gained a wider circle of acquaintances, people with great knowledge, whom I can consult, to whom I can turn.»
Switched to Belarusian after a challenge
In 2021, Mikita announced a challenge — if 30,000 people subscribed to his Instagram, he would record an episode in Belarusian. Many were outraged then that conditions were being set for content in the native language.
But as a result, Mikita not only recorded an episode in Belarusian but also began actively learning the Belarusian language and gradually switched to it. Through his example, the blogger contributed to the popularization of Belarusian culture. Many episodes on his YouTube channel were released in Belarusian, and Mikita spoke it in other projects as well.
In 2023, Mikita got a tattoo on his leg with writer Uladzimir Karatkevich and kittens.
Created «Zhyttsie-malina» (Life is a Raspberry)
Mikita tried launching various YouTube projects, but the most successful for him became the channel «Zhyttsie-malina» (Life is a Raspberry) (it currently has 97,000 subscribers).
The project started in the summer of 2020. Mikita said that it was a place where people weren't prevented from speaking and where Belarusians were shown for Belarusians. Participants in the project included Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Pavel Latushka, Zianon Pazniak, Volha Khizhynkova, Alena Leuchanka, Artsiom Shraibman, Aliaksandra Herasimenia, Vadzim Prakopyeu, Anton Matolka, Mikolaj Khalezin, and many others.
The most views — over 1.1 million — were garnered by Mielkaziorau's conversation with Belarusian volunteer Yanki.
Married model Lina Tsapava
Mikita and Lina Tsapava met through Instagram in 2022. When Lina moved to Warsaw, their relationship began.
Lina Tsapava. Photo: «Nasha Niva»
The couple officially married in January 2025 — they registered online in the USA, in the state of Utah.
Mikita and Lina got a cute puppy of the Petit Brabançon breed. The pet was named Fuji. Mikita enthusiastically shared about his new friend on social media.
Mikita and the dog Fuji. Photo: social media
His Crocs were taken by a museum
Recently, Mielkaziorau donated his memorable yellow Crocs to the Museum of Free Belarus. He recounted that the shoes had worn out and his wife said it was time to throw them away. Mikita, jokingly, wrote to the museum asking if they needed such an exhibit. The museum accepted the Crocs.
Mikita Mielkaziorau in those very yellow Crocs. Photo: journalist's Instagram