Don’t let Russians tell our story

If we are silenced, who will tell our story?

Jul 19, 2025

Recently, I received a message saying that if I want my work to reach more people I need to write about resilience instead of victimhood, as people like more uplifting content. I was also advised to share what lessons my loved ones and I learned living through war and dictatorship, and how those lessons can be applied in daily life instead of complaining and sharing negative emotions. People have too much negativity in their lives already, I was told. I need to wrap the trauma of war and oppression in shiny paper with glitter and tell about it with a gentle smile and wisdom. But also don’t talk too much about it, as it scares people away. As if it is not real life, but a show for easily bored viewers who must be constantly entertained.

This message made me think about why Russians can parade their false victimhood 24/7, and people don’t get tired of it, but only become more sympathetic. However, when Ukrainians show the brutal reality caused by the Russian aggression, people shush them very quickly. It’s too much. It’s too negative. It’s too boring. And here I am, talking about Russian colonialism from a Belarusian perspective. Belarus? Where is it? Is it Russia, right?

With each day, fewer and fewer Ukrainian voices are being heard. Ukrainians burn out metaphorically and literally, in their apartments, which Russians relentlessly bomb every night. Ukrainians get killed on the front line, where Russians use every forbidden weapon and tactic you can think of. Ukrainians disappear. Ukrainians get quieter and quieter. Guess who continues to speak and does it even louder than before?

How long will you last talking about the most traumatic experience that you have ever lived through, and that you are living through right now, when you see that people don’t listen? When you see that your words are constantly twisted and questioned, and the ones who cause you this immeasurable pain are believed over you? A day, a week, a month, a year? How long will you last until you find yourself filled with so much bitterness, anger, and despair that you would explode, causing even more criticism towards yourself? See, those Ukrainians are so emotional, so full of hatred. They are so biased. Let’s talk to calm and intelligent Russians who will tell us the truth.

As a Belarusian, I feel even more alone. There have never been many Belarusians who speak to an English-speaking audience to begin with. If they are silenced, who will tell their story?

Please listen to what we have to say – whether it’s raw emotions from an aching heart or an entertaining story about our culture. Whether it’s an uncomfortable truth from our experience or an educational fact from our history. Please listen to our silence, too, as it often speaks louder than words.

Please don’t let Russians tell our story.

A new poem:

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

War and July

People think that war
will never happen to them.
They avoid hard conversations 
and don’t read the news.
They don’t like it when my experience 
ruins their illusions of the world,
or spoil their mood, 
and they blame me for that.

No one wants to hear 
about the war in July.
It’s time for vacations, sun, rest, and play.
But the war has become 
my companion for a long time.
Whenever I go, 
it goes too, 
and it scares people away.

At some point, 
the war outlasted all the friendships 
I’ve ever had.
And the new ones need time 
to grow from the burned-out soil.

Whenever I go,
the war scares people away,
but unlike them
I’m no longer afraid.

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