Bus Offers A Last Way Out To Belarusians Fleeing Repression

Brest, Belarus, Aug 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Aug, 2023 ) :Lyudmila, 70, has fond memories of travelling freely to Europe from her native Belarus, before its repressive government was slapped with waves of sanctions plunging it into isolation.

Strongman Alexander Lukashenko violently put down historic anti-government demonstrations in 2020 and last year helped Russian forces invade Ukraine, sparking flight bans and border closures.

Waiting at the last open passenger crossing point to neighbouring Poland, Lyudmila, who only provided her first name due to security concerns, recounted hassle-free trips, including to Spain, in the years before the unrest.

"It's all become harder of course," she said, resting on a sunny patch of grass as passengers on her bus to the Polish capital passed through border checks near Brest.

The pensioner with heavily drawn eyebrows is one of thousands of Belarusians who now rely on the route to Warsaw to exit the increasingly authoritarian country.

The closed air and rail routes point to how that link has become a lifeline for those fleeing Lukashenko's authoritarian rule -- or just holidaying in Europe.

Poland has emerged as a safe haven for Belarusians since the demonstrations, and official data show they now make up the second-largest foreign nationality in the country after Ukrainians.

Even though she had grown used to flying, Lyudmila has chosen to see the positives in the longer route imposed by politics.

"I look at the countryside. I like it. (You can) relax!" she said with a smile.