"The support of Belarusians is moving." Former political prisoner Dzmitry Kuchuk, who asked for help, bought a van and is leaving the shelter

"As of today, more than 2200 euros have been collected for me. I calculated that this will be enough for a couple of months' rent for new housing and for food. But I am not the only one who needs such help through the BySol website; there should be a rotation. I have enough, and I hope to rely on my own business moving forward, so I wrote an application to stop the collection. And I am very grateful to everyone who helped me with their funds. I saw certain support from Belarusians, it is truly moving," said Dzmitry Kuchuk.

Dzmitry Kuchuk has been living in Vilnius for a year now. This year, he started his own business: his company Waste Line began collecting old household appliances and waste for recycling. However, working in the Lithuanian waste collection market turned out to be difficult, and Kuchuk faced financial challenges.

"I had no initial capital, and expenses piled up significantly. A substantial part of the earned money went to transport rental, without which waste collection is impossible, and taxes also had to be paid. Because of this, at the end of September, I had to move from my former apartment to a shelter," explained Dzmitry Kuchuk, regarding why BySol announced a fundraising campaign for him.

Since then, Dzmitry has been able to solve one of the most important problems for his business — he found funds and bought a microbus, which he is already using for waste collection.

"One Polish businessman came to help: he gave money on credit for a year, and the van is now mine. This will help reduce expenses. The van is already in use," Dzmitry Kuchuk reported.

According to him, he was also helped by like-minded people from the Belarusian "Green" party, and donations were also transferred to him by environmental activists of the "Deep Dialogue" ecological project, jointly with Swedish "Greens," who work in Vilnius.

"Such support is moving, not only financial but also moral: many people called and wrote me words of solidarity, there were even letters from America," says Dzmitry Kuchuk.

On October 30, Kuchuk's housing agreement in the "Country for Life" shelter, where he moved to save money, expires. The former political prisoner says he has already decided on new housing and will move there soon.

Overall, Dzmitry Kuchuk speaks with great gratitude about the month spent in the shelter. According to the former political prisoner, he managed not only to save money but also to make useful acquaintances.

"There's a good atmosphere there. And our Belarusian compatriot, who had a car service station in Minsk, helped with choosing the van and assessing its condition. Now we are concluding an agreement with this person for the further technical maintenance of the vehicle," Dzmitry Kuchuk reported.

According to the former political prisoner, the Belarusian solidarity he felt when he faced life's difficulties also helps him maintain his inner balance and optimistic mood.

"In exile, it is very important to feel useful, to be needed by people. It gives strength not only for work but also for civic activism," explains the leader of the "Green" party, liquidated by the Belarusian authorities, which continues its activities even in exile.

Dzmitry Kuchuk was detained in Minsk on February 16, 2024, after he publicly tried to honor the memory of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in prison. In December of the same year, Kuchuk was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment under two articles of the Criminal Code, including Article 342 – for participation in "actions that grossly violate public order."

The activist served his sentence in correctional colony No. 9 in Horki, from where he was released on September 11, 2025, and forcibly taken to Lithuania along with 50 other former political prisoners.

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