Maria Zaitseva, a 24-year-old Belarusian volunteer soldier, was honored with a farewell ceremony in Kyiv after her death in combat. Zaitseva was a prominent figure in the Belarusian pro-democracy movement and joined the fight in Ukraine, believing it was essential to liberate her homeland from Russian influence.
A farewell ceremony was held in Kyiv on February 3 for Maria Zaitseva, a 24-year-old Belarus ian volunteer soldier who fought for Ukraine. Zaitseva first gained recognition as a heroine of the Belarus ian pro-democracy movement five years prior, when she was photographed bloodied after being wounded during protests following her country's contested 2020 election. She viewed the election as a grave injustice deeply connected to Belarus 's struggle for freedom.
Many Belarusian volunteers have joined the fight in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion three years ago, believing that defeating Russia in Ukraine is crucial to liberating Belarus.The funeral took place just over a week after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was sworn in for another five-year term. Dozens of combatants and civilians gathered at Kyiv's main crematorium to mourn Zaitseva, the first female member of the Second Battalion of the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine to be killed in action. Ruslan Myroshnychenko, the 55-year-old founder and former commander of the Second Battalion, recalled their first meeting, smiling at the memory. 'What was a high school student doing in my unit?' Colonel Myroshnychenko asked on Monday. 'But in this high school student, a very well-formed personality appeared, adult eyes, adult thoughts, an adult’s fully formed determination to fight.' Zaitseva's parents could not attend her public farewell as it is nearly impossible for Belarusian citizens to cross the border into Ukraine. At their request, Krystsina Shyjanok, director of the office representing Belarus's pro-democracy opposition, who is in exile in the Czech Republic, placed a religious icon and white roses in the coffin. 'Maria advocated for equality everywhere, and I saw in her such an epicentre of feminist ideas,' Ms. Shyjanok, 38, said. 'Quite often in our communication, I did not feel the difference in our ages, although we belonged to completely different generations.'Born in the Belarusian city of Gomel, Zaitseva was 19 and studying to be a veterinarian on August 9, 2020, when she joined the protests in Minsk against the outcome of the presidential election. Many Belarusians believe the election was won by the opposition candidate. There, Zaitseva sustained injuries from rubber bullets and shrapnel from a stun grenade. She underwent surgeries in Belarus and continued treatment in the Czech Republic but never fully regained hearing in her right ear. After the full-scale war began in Ukraine in 2022, Zaitseva helped Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic until the spring of 2023, when she joined the International Legion.She initially worked as a trench paramedic, receiving a serious shrapnel injury to her hand in 2023. After treatment and rehabilitation in Prague, she expressed her desire to return to Ukraine as a sniper, despite her hand motor skills not being fully restored. By the fall of 2024, she was participating in combat missions near the city of Chasiv Yar on Ukraine's southeastern Donbas front. Colonel Myroshnychenko described her as a 'very effective sniper.' Pavlo Shurmei, the commander of the Kastus Kalinowski Regiment, an all-Belarusian unit attached to the Ukrainian armed forces, attended the ceremony out of respect for a fallen 'daughter of the Belarusian people,' even though she had not served in his regiment. 'People must understand that we are fighting here for Ukraine, for Belarus, and for the entire civilized world,' he said. A few minutes before Zaitseva was to be cremated, opposition leader Ms. Tsikhanouskaya intervened to request Kyiv's Mayor to grant permission for Zaitseva to be buried next to her fellow Belarusian fighters
BELARUS UKRAINE WAR VOLUNTEER MARIA ZAITSEVA INTERNATIONAL LEGION PRO-DEMOCRACY FUNERAL
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