«Out of desperation, he went to Belarus, where he had an operation.» A comrade-in-arms told what is known about the arrested Kalinouski fighter Andrei Siarheyeu

Andrei Siarheyeu. ONT TV plot screenshot

In a propaganda report recently shown on Belarusian television, former Kalinouski Regiment volunteer Andrei Siarheyeu appeared. He is now behind bars.

Nasha Niva found a person who served with him during the first weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is Aliaksandr "Kus" Klachko – a former volunteer of the "Volat" Battalion of the Kalinouski Regiment and co-founder of the KUS charitable organization in Lithuania. We spoke with him about Siarheyeu – how he ended up in the volunteer unit and what might have forced him to return to Belarus.

Met in the first days of the war

«That's "Kot" (Cat),» Aliaksandr Klachko says almost immediately when we show him a photo of Andrei Siarheyeu.

They met on March 5, 2022, at the Yavoriv refugee center near Lviv. Belarusians who were looking for an opportunity to get to Kyiv and defend it from Russia gathered there. Volunteers were waiting for a chance to go to the front.

A few days later, a humanitarian convoy from Warsaw, led by "Uncle" — Pavel Shurmei, picked up the group. They reached Lviv through checkpoints, where Siarhei Bulba met them, and by March 8, they were in Kyiv.

«I know that Siarheyeu served in tank troops in Soviet times. On March 11, 2022, he literally told me: «Here, in four days, I learned more than in four years in the army,» recalls Aliaksandr Klachko.

In late spring 2022, the battalion's second company went on combat missions in the Mykolaiv direction. Since then, their paths diverged.

«According to rumors, Siarheyeu was demobilized due to health reasons — it seems COVID undermined him,» our interlocutor recalls.

Went to Belarus for an operation

Aliaksandr Klachko last saw "Kot" in Warsaw in mid-September 2022.

«I was returning from Vilnius to the front for the second time then, and "Kot" and another volunteer wanted to meet with me before the journey,» says our interlocutor.

It was during that meeting that Klachko learned that Siarheyeu had serious health problems.

«I might be wrong about the timing, but then I learned, to my great surprise, that "Kot" had serious lung problems. And out of desperation, he went to Belarus, where he had an operation and had one lung removed. After that meeting, I heard nothing more about him. But even then I thought about him: how will you live in emigration with your health ruined?» he says.

At the same time, the risk for a person who had already appeared in Belarusian media as a volunteer was obvious.

«Our photo at the Lviv railway station was published in "Basta" [Telegram channel]. Therefore, the health situation was apparently truly very difficult if he decided to take such a risk,» Aliaksandr Klachko believes.

«Sometimes returning home can be considered the only way out»

The propaganda report claimed possible problems "Kot" had with alcohol.

Klachko does not rule out that he might have drunk, but saw nothing of the sort during his service.

«I didn't notice him doing that during service. Yes, I admit he might have liked to drink. But such a thought occurred to me only after our last meeting,» says our interlocutor.

At the same time, Klachko characterizes his former comrade-in-arms as a complex person:

«By nature – he has his own opinion, but he's complex – always argued with another officer of his age from Soviet times about military matters. We didn't conflict, but our relationship wasn't close either.»

«You know, I sometimes think that for Belarusians with shattered health in forced emigration, especially for volunteers, in the absence of systematic aid from state or public organizations, returning home can seem like the only way out, however bitter that may sound. Even if this home is today occupied by the Lukashenka regime and Moscow,» "Kus" concludes.

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