"Hunting was arranged." Ex-investigator from Belarus asylum in Poland

On the evening of August 20, the former investigator from Minsk Andrei Ostapovich was going to spend the night in the Pskov hotel to wait for the visa and leave for Latvia. A few days later he ended up in a FSB car with a smear mask on his head and a weight tied to his hands. Again, he got in touch only on September 15th. Andrei Ostapovich told the North. Real to the correspondent that he lives in Warsaw, where he plans to ask for political asylum, and how he managed to get there.

27-year-old Andrei Ostapovich served in the Investigative Committee of Belarus and resigned on August 16 after the start of mass protests following the results of the presidential election. In the dismissal report, he emotionally explained the reasons - “we are all not blind, we see the truth” - and listed specific examples of the cruelty of the police in relation to protesters. Not wanting to cover the crimes of the Belarusian security forces, he left the service and immediately left the country.

Ostapovich came to Russia to then move to Latvia, but in anticipation of the visa was detained in Pskov. After the noise raised in the press, the Russian security forces did not dare to transfer it right into the hands of the Belarusian colleagues, but simply transported across the border and left near the border room in the Vitebsk region. The connection with Andrei for a long time broke off. Yesterday it became known that the former investigator was hiding for a long time in the forests of Belarus, after which he found a way to get into the EU territory and get to Warsaw.

"I thought they were driving"

“It always seemed to me that our opposition does not exist. You have never touched the opposition so much. We have much stronger in Belarus - they beat it, broke it,” Andrei Ostapovich is convinced. Comparing Belarus with Russia, he sees the latter with a completely democratic country. The question of what happened to Navalny, puts him at a dead end: "These are political games, but who it is and from which side I do not know."

- So you went to Russia after a resignation report? They thought it was safer here?

- I initially went to Russia, because I have absolutely nothing against it. I was deported with weights on his hand and a smear mask on my head and said that for the next five years I was forbidden to enter the country because I kept Russian citizens from the Wagner PMC. It was a shock because I never did anything like that. I understand that this was said so that I do not return, for more intimidation. In general, to the last I thought that they were driving-since 32-kilogram weights on the arm, mask and handcuffs. I calculated everything - whether I could swim in such layouts. The experience was: in the 7th grade, somehow saved the boy, he also weighed 40 kilograms, but here are the handcuffs. I wondered, if I score on my back, I will turn around and put the weight on my stomach, if I only bump with my feet, I would get out or not.

- You were not drowned and did not even give out the Belarusian security forces. Why?

By that time, my legs did not go, but in such a situation - they ran

- They landed in Belarus and even called the settlement, however, I no longer remember which one. People from the Russian side, which I cannot call, then explained that it was decided not to give out directly, because there was a strong publicity, and no one wanted to show that there was cooperation, as well as take responsibility for my future fate. I understood that they would catch me intensely, so I immediately threw out the phones and began to act on his knowledge of how not to come across.

- went to the forests, to the border?

- Once for 27 hours in a row, he walked 70 km in the forests, did not sleep. The joints were damaged, especially the left leg. In some places were forest roads and ordinary. From cars, I went into the bushes just in case. I have not met people. Two deer were, shugalized me. But the most dangerous was a wild boar. Familiar hunters used to say that these wild boars are crazy, both fly and demolish everything, and if they damage it, then everything is serious, they can gobble up. When boars rush in the forest at night, it seems that the whole forest begins to move, because such a mass. He squeals wildly and flies at you. I was lucky - I had a flashlight, I could light up his eyes. I still remember this view. By that time, my legs did not go, but in such a situation they ran.

- How much did you end up in the forests?

Colleagues misinformed - they were informed not of the data on purpose to harm me

-About five days, sometimes I got into settlements, I didn’t go to the shops for food either-I all remained in Russia due to the detention. The water ended quickly - he drank from the stream. I got it somehow, periodically got in touch with specific people and found out what and how, and received information. Under it and edited his actions. One by one, plans were falling off, I realized that this one would not work, the next one too. Therefore, everything dragged on like that.

- Did you call former colleagues?

- I no longer talked with them, because I understood that I could only get misinformation from them. Therefore, he acted more radically.

- But on other channels you knew that there is a criminal case, are they looking for you?

-Something like that. I can’t talk about it now and I don’t know when I can. There is a criminal case. Although I expected other articles. When he wrote his emotional report, nevertheless, as a lawyer, he understood how it should be, so that this could not be brought under the disclosure, nor under the call to overthrow power. But "inaction" - I can’t understand why (the case against Ostapovich was excited under Article 425 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus "Inaction of an official." - SR).

- What country did they want to get to when they went to the border?

- In that situation, it was already difficult to decide what exactly to do, because it would definitely have to go through the Belarusian border. And there is orientation on me. In Belarus, everything changes, and in other countries changes also occur and occurred - Ukraine closed the border and so on. I had to walk in circles, think how to get out.

"The hunt was arranged as if I had blew up something"

- You mentioned that on the way to Poland several European countries visited. Why failed to gain a foothold there?

I no longer have strength, no resources, no money, no connection, no acquaintances, no housing no housing

- A difficult question, it affects interests that do not need to be announced. There were circumstances. Poland is my final point.

- Will you get political asylum?

- When I got it, I was able to connect the Internet, began to look for what next. They have Taborov, 33, is the Office for Foreigners. Everyone turns there if they did not declare a shelter on the border like me. You turn, the production of documents begins. The bureaucracy is no less here, the procedure is long. I no longer have strength, there is no resources, no money, no connection, there are no acquaintances, there is no housing. I understand that after what I went through, I spent all my energy resources, even psychologically began to get lost. And suddenly, purely by chance, on Instagram, he came across the center of Belarusian solidarity. And there they specifically helped me - they even found a doctor, although everyone around is insurance. The next day, they contacted this center where they were engaged in refugees so that the design process moves out of the dead point. From today I am starting to learn the language - the courses have found free.

- You removed the epaulets that you wore from the age of 17. What will you do now?

- There will be no more epaulette, engage in politics, police, consequence - I burned down while I was fighting. Even taking into account the fact that something will change in Belarus. The confidence in the system was lost, I do not want to do this. I want to go in a different direction, for example, in culture.

- Do you mean your former colleagues by the system?

- The power block, yes. I am talking about my persecution. Such a hunt was arranged as if I had blew up something. I did not expect, after such it is difficult to return.

- And among the Belarusian security forces are there those who support you?

Even if you take riot police, there are people who absolutely do not like what they are doing now

- People are leaving, not one me. You can brand a traitor, say that for the money he did it or something else. But many of the prosecutor’s office, from the court, and other employees from other people's accounts, they were writing to me, they fear for themselves, write that well done, once spoke out. Especially at the beginning. When it spun stronger, people began to fear, they are afraid to write to me.

- How many of those who have departed among law enforcement officers, those who are disagreeable?

- In the power block, even before my report there were already several dozen. Even if you take riot police, I’m not talking about everyone, but I think there are people who absolutely do not like what they are doing now, and in their head they scroll it. But I think that if you quit riot police, you won’t tell anything, you just leave - there will be problems.

- So far, those who participate in peaceful protest are more problems ...

- The situation is that Lukashenko himself will not leave and the authorities will not give. He himself stated this: "You will have to kill me." Nobody wants to kill in our homeland, and this will not happen. But there is an economic side - to bring the country to the point that it will completely lie when they will kill hunger and illness. A vicious circle. Nobody wants to violate the revolution, people do not agree to this. Only the economic path remains, which in the same way will destroy the normal existence of people and can also bring the worst troubles. But I simply do not see another overthrow.

People do not give up, but I am an investigator, not a politician, not an analyst

- Are you also on the side of those who consider the only right option a peaceful protest?

- At first I thought so absolutely. But now I just dropped out of the information field for some time, and it seems that those measures, such a force that the protest, strikes, and so on, is no longer enough. And what to do next? There will be more stringent measures, starting with hacks of various sites by the same ITshniks that he began to strangle? This is already more radical activity. People do not give up, but I am an investigator, not a politician, not an analyst. There are thoughts, but it is better not to voice them, but just to do it.

"Lukashenko already worked out material"

- Why do you think Putin supports Lukashenko?

- I can't understand. Vladimir Putin is a much more cunning person, a strong politician - why does he support Lukashenko as a representative of the Belarusian people? It is clear that all people are against it, and it was necessary not to support him, but to look for his candidate. Maybe there is some cunning game, and I don't know.

- So far, the game is that Putin gave Lukashenko $ 1.5 billion.

- He will not be able to constantly allocate money, as well as contain a people who simply will not work, because he does not agree. Lukashenko already worked out material. Moreover, in relation to Russia before the elections, he spoke far from amiably, not as a friend and twisted. I understand why Russia cannot give Belarus just like that - there is protection of its borders, political interests and everything else. But even without Lukashenko this can be provided. Here people are not against Russia, they are simply against Lukashenko, and it is wrong to speak on his side.

- You did not think that Putin is afraid that in Russia people will also take to the streets?

But I have an incomprehensible mistake - why does he support Lukashenko

-I do not consider myself so competent as to reflect on this, but I do not think that your president will act so only because he is afraid that the same will begin in Russia. Russia, at least in mentality, is a related country, but its power is absolutely incommensurable with the Belarusian. And I think that Putin’s support is much more than that of Lukashenko in Belarus, especially after the events of August 9–12. Russia is on the rise, I think, is not in terms of the standard of living of people - I will not judge for this, I don’t really know - but the plan of political power on the rise. And Vladimir Putin cannot afford to take positions. But I have an incomprehensible mistake - why he supports Lukashenko. Do you think Putin would have lost if he supported any of our candidates, would find contact with him? We even said the candidates that they would maintain contacts with Russia. No one was going to go to Europe. We just want to be independent, we want to be a bridge of reconciliation between Russia and Europe, to start some normal relations. I myself did not vote, because we were offered to do it ahead of schedule all the time, and I understand who in such a situation my voice will go. And on the day of voting, I am always in reinforcement at work. So it was every election. I myself never thought about the unification. But when I was in Russia, ordinary people helped me very much. We are the same, the Russians are the same as we are.

- Do you want to return to Belarus?

- I do not know who will be instead of Lukashenko, to which he will bring the country. The Belarusian passport will soon be taken from me, then I will wait another five years to wait for Polish citizenship. Of course, I want to return home, but today I act in such a way as to stay here, settle in and live calmly. I wish you to help with overcoming this political crisis in Belarus to the best of my capabilities.