Former Political Prisoner About The Support Of Belarusians: You Are All Just Wonderful People!

• 26.12.2025, 10:43

Solidarity was felt even in the "indoor" prison.

Sergei Rudenkov from Chechersk received five years in prison in 2023 under articles 130, 361, 368 and 369 (insulting Lukashenka, representatives of the authorities, as well as "inciting discord" and calling for protests - note). The Belarusian served his sentence in IK-17 in Shklou, where he passed through the PKT (cell-type room) and SHIZO (punitive isolation cell), and then in the "covered" prison. Sergei was released on December 13, 2025 and taken to Ukraine, from where he moved to Lithuania. Today, while in Vilnius, he told Charter97.org about how the release took place.

- Where did you serve your sentence?

- Initially, I served time in IK-17, in Shklov. I was there for eight months - four in the camp, four in a cell-type facility, and another month in the SHIZO. Then I was sentenced for the second time and moved to prison No. 4 in Mogilev. There I spent a year and a half before we were taken out.

- How were you taken out?

- Brilliantly! I'm kidding now. We were taken out at five o'clock in the morning, we arrived before rising, with our things we were taken to the "airport", that's how they call the place of inspection. There they went through the things, some of which were confiscated, took away all the documents and medicines. Then they put a bag on his head and put him on a bus and transported him to penal colony 15. From there they took about ten more political prisoners. All of them were taken by bus to Gomel. There was a stop there, political prisoners were taken from the women's colony. Then they took them all together to the border. They waited there for some time, then were transferred to other buses, handcuffs were taken away, their hands were wrapped in duct tape and they were taken again somewhere, at that time it was unclear where. A little later it turned out that it was a post on the Ukrainian border. There we were handed over to the Ukrainian armed forces. The Ukrainians released us, cut the tape off our hands, untied our eyes, and there I saw Pavel Severinets, Maria Kolesnikova and Viktor Babariko.

We were brought to the hospital in Chernihiv, where we stayed for two days. We were examined, "patched up". Those who were in a bad condition were especially carefully examined. The doctors in Chernihiv almost cried when they saw our condition, they were shocked. They asked: where did they keep us like that? According to them, our condition was as if we had been brought from Auschwitz.

Then we were transported to a hotel, where we also spent two days. Often there was an air raid, we jumped up several times during the night and moved to the basement. Then we were put on a bus in the morning around five o'clock and transported to Warsaw, we practically traveled for twenty-four hours. There, some of the former political prisoners stayed in the hotel, and those who decided to go to Lithuania went on.

- How were you met in Lithuania?

- Excellent! I'm not a very emotional person, so I don't know how to describe it. We were just surrounded by care. I don't even know, I can't emotionally "unfreeze" yet. In prison, you had to control yourself 24/7. In three years I got so used to it that now it is extremely difficult for me to show any emotions.

Walking around the city, people smile, show emotions, they are happy. It helps a lot! The most pleasant feelings are when you are in the company of free people who can freely say what they think.

- What kept you going and gave you strength in prison?

- Imprisonment is much easier when you realize that you are not alone. Even in the "covered" prison, I felt support. Both from Belarusians at large, and from fellow political prisoners. Everyone helps each other there. My "otovarka" was taken away from me, having for some reason included me in the lists of "terrorists", and I was left without normal food. Zhenya Afnagel and other guys shared the food they bought, and in general supported me as best they could. Thanks to them, one can say, I survived these years.

- Do you feel the support of Belarusians now? They have already supported us financially, plus medical care is good, they started to help us right away. They brought a whole pile of food, now we don't know where to put it. We are also in contact with each other. We get together, then we cook lunch, then dinner.

- What would you like to say to Belarusians now?

- First of all, thank you for your support and help. It would be very hard for us if we came and were left without anything. Even the documents are helping us to formalize.

It would be unreal to survive without help abroad, because at least three months we will have to formalize the documents, while we can't work. How can we get money to live? Thanks to everyone who supports us, we are surviving at the moment. Thanks to you. I would like to thank the American side, which helped us to liberate, Ukraine, Lithuania and, of course, Belarusians, who supported us and continue to support us. You are all just wonderful people.