What Remains of a Revolution

I left Belarus six years ago and have been living in exile ever since.

In the months that followed, the escalation of repression pushed many people out of the country, including myself.

But I still remember the specific silence of the streets during the Belarusian protest movement of 2020. The silence of blocked central streets, courtyards, closed metro stations, accumulation of military equipment, water cannons, paddy wagons, riot police, conscripts, and "tsikhari" (slang for undercover agents). And in this silence, one was forced to decide whether it is worth taking the risk and going outside.

We called the movement "Like Water."