Sergei Veremeenko accidentally found his furniture on a confiscation website, after which he began to keep a list of people involved in the «squeeze.» He does this to punish them in the future. The man says that almost 100 years ago, the property was taken from his grandfather, and now — from him. Elena Yanushkovskaya left her home in Belarus and was forced to go abroad with one suitcase. She lost contact with her adopted daughter, who was offended by her and became a «yabatska» (in Belarus — someone who support existing authoritarian regime). Yulia Slivko deliberately did not enter into the inheritance rights, but the property was considered to belong to her. She remembers the apple tree and roses that her mother planted before her death — and which Yulia cannot care for. The editors of Hrodna.life recorded the stories of Belarusians whose houses were confiscated by the authorities.
For the Veremeenko family — businessmen, owners of the «Admetnasc» store and political activists — it all started with the recognition of their personal pages and the pages of their store as extremist information. Then, the store’s social networks were recognized as an extremist formation. Then, pro-government channels reported criminal cases: first against Sergei Veremeenko, then against his wife Olga. Later, three other criminal cases were opened against Sergei — for participating in the elections to the opposition Coordination Council from the Solidarity list. All blocs in the elections to the CC were recognized as extremist formations. Formally, the criminal case was linked to «extremism.»
Subsequently, the family saw on the Belyurobespechenie website that their property was being sold: furniture, a washing machine, a refrigerator, armchairs, tables, mirrors. This means that the property has been confiscated. By what decision — Sergei does not know. By the time the text was published, the refrigerator had already been sold.
— Although there were no trials, I was not contacted in any way. I think it’s simple, when they know my Facebook, Telegram, Instagram. They even thought of designating them as extremist channels. So, they could have simply contacted me, — Sergei is indignant and recalls the experience of conducting trials via Skype. — However, they act like bandits.
Later, the Hrodna residents sent a photo of the Veremeenko house. It, the shed and the garage were boarded up. «On each one there is a piece of paper that says that a certain KGB officer named Tverskov described this property, that entry is prohibited,» Sergei said.
Previously, a family lived in the house for free, taking care of it. The Veremeenko even paid for utilities themselves. Sergei wrote a letter, not notarized, that he allows them to live there. During the inventory, the family, according to Sergei, was simply evicted. Communication with them disappeared.
The house they want to sell belonged to Sergei Veremeenko’s grandfather — Stepan Prokopchik. Previously, they lived in the village of Birulichi near Skidel. Grandfather was drafted into the army for World War II. He returned, received the Order of the Great Patriotic War. In the 40s, they began to call him to the collective farm — then they still invited him.
«To which my grandfather always answered: «Go to hell with your collective farm. I have my own collective farm — I have eight children.»
In the 50s, despite the fact that he was a veteran, they set conditions: either you go to Siberia, or you go to a collective farm. I had to share the house, three hectares of land and ten hectares of forest. He and his sister, orphans, bought them from the master, to whom they went as farmhands.
— Grandfather-entrepreneur, you might say. He sewed boots, raised young mares, which he bought at the market in Skidel, and sold them.
— It turns out that entrepreneurship is in your blood.
— Well, it turns out that way. My son later worked with motorcycles, scooters, which he bought cheaply, repaired, and sold. And I say: «Kolunya, you, like your great-grandfather, you see, he was engaged in horses, and you are engaged in horses, only iron ones.»
Grandfather Stepan continued to earn extra money, and bought half of the house: then — on the outskirts of the village of Pereselka, now — in a microdistrict near the city center. The house was inherited by Sergei’s mother, after her death — by him. For some time the land, a plot of three hundred square meters, was desolate. Sergei’s wife Volya began to cultivate it.
«And so effectively that I had never seen such a thing grow in our country before. We harvested two crops of potatoes, a mountain of cucumbers, tomatoes that grew like a vineyard. There are trees that I remember from childhood — white filling apples, plums, we planted new apple trees,» the man said. In difficult times, the family lived off this.
«As a result, the Bolshevik communists took the house from my grandfather. And from me — the new „communists“, Lukashenka’s people,» Sergei believes.
Sergei has no illusions: his activist friend’s house in the Vitebsk region was arrested. It was sold for 18,000 rubles in a few hours. He himself was mentally prepared for this since 2020: «What belongs to my family, I will take back.»
Sergei records in the «Stolen Property» folder everyone who is involved in the sale of his property, starting with Tverskoy’s employee — even if it’s his pseudonym. Cyberpartisans helped with some of the data. Sergei’s folder already contains several dozen people. He believes that these people will be held accountable personally: «I hope that we will live to see the time when they will have to answer according to the law, if we are to judge them. If this is not during my lifetime, I have a son — he will definitely live to see it.» The collection continues.
— If a person bought illegally stolen property, then he can be an accomplice — if he acquired it consciously. If he bought it unconsciously, he will return it to the owner and can sue the person who sold it to him, — Sergei believes.
Sergei is going to send a letter to the new residents, in which he will explain that they live in «stolen property.» Honest people will cancel the deal, Sergei believes. He already found out who bought the refrigerator and contacted them. Asked why they did it. These people didn’t answer. Veremeenko advises not to buy anything in confiscation stores: «Don't buy someone else’s, you are buying someone else’s grief.»
«The Hrodna resident does not know how much money he will lose along with the house: «I never valued my house in money. We never had a goal to sell it — even when I was leaving Belarus. I can’t sell. I am neither morally nor in any other way ready. It is impossible to estimate — this is my inheritance. The authorities put me in conditions that forced me to leave the country. And when I, leaving, sell what remains there, for next to nothing… It’s the same as my grandfather, who is told: either Siberia or a collective farm. I chose emigration.»
Sergei suggests that Belarusian democratic forces prepare a law on restitution. He believes that the land should be returned to the owners. Moreover, according to Sergei, the countdown should be from 1918, from the BSSR. Therefore, he is counting on his grandfather’s house and land, which were taken away by the Bolsheviks. You can use the experience of Poland, Lithuania, post-Soviet countries that have gone through this. If suddenly there is a factory on the site of your property, no one will give it to you, you can receive compensation from the state, Sergei explains. He proposes to take money for this from European loans. As far as Sergei knows, the process of creating a bill is already underway. The preparation of the law has not been publicly reported.
The man will not go to European courts «so that they do not communicate with the illegitimate government».
Now the Veremeenko family rents an apartment in Bialystok. At first, Sergei felt uncomfortable in the apartment — he was used to the house. «If you want — shout, if you want — sunbathe», he says.
Veremeenko has been traveling to Bialystok since the 90s. He knows Polish from «Bolek and Lolek» [a cartoon that was shown on Polish television — Hrodna.life]. Therefore, he feels comfortable in Poland. But it is morally difficult for him to live here.
«You have to constantly pay for a house that doesn’t belong to me. And it is difficult for emigrants to buy or build something new, especially if you are over 50. It is difficult to get a loan, a high-paying job», — the man says.
Wife Olga continues to grow potatoes and flowers. Only now — on the balcony.
Elena Yanushkovskaya from the Vitebsk region, a public figure, a member of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, had her house arrested for unpaid fines and taxes — for a tenant registered in the apartment. Friends offered to collect these 1400 rubles. Elena consulted with friends. She was told that there was no point in paying: they issue new fines, including retroactively — for example, for the fact that the grass is not mowed or the garbage is not taken out.
— We decided that there was no point: they would take it away anyway. Moreover, I drank their blood there when I showed their shortcomings and violations through blogging and made them work. Therefore, we did not pay this amount, — said Elena.
On May 30, the apartment was sold at auction. There were two participants. The authorities estimated the house at 10,000 rubles. Elena found houses much worse in worse places three times more expensive.
— They just stole my housing. I am a person already hardened in battles. For me, neither fines nor temporary detention centers are new. It was coming to this… But it’s very disgusting that strangers walk around my house, — says Elena.
Elena had two hours in February 2021 to pack. She took with her as much as the hand luggage on the plane allowed. Many things dear to Elena remained in the house — documents, photographs. There was no way to take them out. Those who are leaving are taking their things first. In addition, they must first be delivered from a village near Vitebsk to Minsk, and from there — across the border.
Elena’s adopted daughter remained living in the house. When the property was seized, she was told to leave. Now contact with her has been lost. Before leaving, she burned some things.
«She is very offended. She doesn’t understand that I can’t write any power of attorney to her, that she doesn’t work. She left for her social apartment and is silent for now. They brainwashed her — she has almost become a „yabatka“», says Elena.
In addition to her own daughter, Elena had five adopted children at one time. So that everyone had enough space, she bought a house three kilometers from Vitebsk for $ 9,000. They connected water, installed a boiler — over time, everything was described for fines. Along with the house came a large plot — 25 acres officially and 29 — in addition, they could be used. Nearby — a pond with fish, a bathhouse, outbuildings. When Elena got on the «black lists» because of blogging and was not given a job, the family fed from this garden and farm.
Elena fought a lot to improve the conditions in her village: a water supply system and street lighting appeared. «I don’t feel pain for the lost money. So much has been invested there — memories and my work. There is a cemetery there, there is my mother. Money is money. And this is your life, 16 years lived there». She also misses the greenhouse, where she, a «tomatoholic», grew tomatoes — about 100 varieties. One could weigh more than 1.5 kg. All friends «were in tomatoes».
Elena did not plan to sell the house. At first, she did not believe that it would come to confiscation. And when it became clear that «it would be squeezed out», there was no longer any possibility to sell it — the powers of attorney did not work.
Elena does not know who bought the house: «I am sure that people who shake hands with the regime bought it. Maybe some of them. To come and knee them in the ass — so that they feel what I felt. Well, people can’t do it so thoughtlessly».
«I know that if I don’t live to see it, my children or grandchildren will come there. Well, it can’t go on like this, it can’t be like this», says Elena. She hopes that by that time a law on restitution will be developed. She believes that her debt and the sale of the house are disproportionate. The activist turned to human rights defenders who are helping her file an application with European structures. The lawyer who handled her case died suddenly. Now Elena is waiting for another one. This is necessary to record that Elena’s rights were violated.
Elena lives in a rented apartment with her daughter. «So far I don’t have any income because I can’t work, and so far I’m hanging on the children’s necks. It’s very difficult, and it’s difficult for them too.» In Poland, she feels like a stranger. It wasn’t until 2024 that they laid out their belongings — before that they «lived on suitcases».
Yulia Slivko, an activist of the Hrodnapromstroi strike committee, was written to by law enforcers and told that «her» property would be taken away — a part of her grandmother’s house and her mother’s house. Although the activist says that it doesn’t belong to her. She left when it was time to enter the inheritance rights and did not draw up any documents. Even then Yulia realized that everything could be taken away. Her brothers and aunts took her place: «That's why I have nothing. I am naked and barefoot.»
As far as Yulia knows, the property is now in the status of arrested. She does not keep in touch with her relatives. She blocked them in messengers, so that they accidentally did not contact her — for their own safety. Special proceedings (criminal proceedings in absentia against those who left Belarus — Hrodna.life) are expected, after which the fate of the property will be known. Yuliya’s brother lives in mom’s house, which is the only place of residence, so he can’t be evicted according to the Belarusian law.
She knows from the neighbors that there are papers listing the articles of the Criminal Code, but no one has seen them. That’s why Yulia still doesn’t know why the property, which doesn’t belong to her by law, was seized.
This is not the first seizure of property from Yulia. Earlier, she and her son were discharged through the court from the dormitory, which was rented for life and for which she claimed to have paid.
— It's where I spent my childhood, my adolescence. It’s where my son grew up. It’s not just home, you know? If you love your homeland, if you love your city, your land, your relatives — it’s not just people, it’s also places. It’s not like they’re just trying to take the houses. The houses there are almost worthless. They’re trying to deliver the final moral blow to completely smear, to break a person. Yes, it hurts, it hurts a lot. But that memory stays in my head, in my heart. I will fight for it. I won’t just give up my memories, my places.
Yulia is referring to her activist activities: marches to make foreigners remember Belarusians, other activities. She can’t talk about all of them publicly. She wanted to join the Coordination Council together with the team «European Choice» for the sake of fighting for the inheritance. One of the directions of their work is the creation of a document on restitution. They will work on it further — based on the experience of Lithuania, Estonia. «We will prepare documents for us to return to our homes, not just our city,» the woman said. She tried to file a complaint to European structures, but failed. So concentrated on the law.
Other people who will buy other people’s property taken away illegally, in a criminal way — because it’s just a property grab. It’s racketeering in the 90s, pure and simple. These people have to remember that you can’t build your happiness on someone else’s misfortune. They’re just going nowhere. And it’s good if it ends with them just being evicted from these houses and not getting any criminal cases.
Julia thinks that people buy property because it’s simply cheap, and don’t think about what happens tomorrow. Or are not aware of what is happening in the country at all. The activist doesn’t plan to explain to them what they bought — she thinks it’s not her responsibility.
Grandmother’s house in Mosty was built on land that belonged to Julia’s great-grandfather. The family erected it with four daughters. Yulia’s mother worked «all her life» for the house in Mosty. Yulia repaired it «all her life» — outside and inside. Water and sewerage were installed there, windows were changed from wooden to plastic. The gardens were tidied up — now they are overgrown. Trees were planted. Only the materials of the workers there left for $ 2,000.
«It's everything — it’s not just money, it’s a part of your heart and soul. It is not valued by money. My mom planted apple trees there before she died — I haven’t eaten a single apple from that apple tree yet. My mom’s roses grow there, which she planted before she found out she had cancer. She used to say: „When I’m gone, the roses will remind you that I’m with you.“ Today I can’t even tend these roses to continue the memory,» Yulia said.
Her favorite place of peace and comfort is the grave of her third brother, where Yulia used to visit. She felt like he was listening and helping. And that’s something she doesn’t have now. She didn’t keep a photo of the house so as not to hurt herself further.
Julia has settled in Warsaw, has her joys and happiness. She has friends, acquaintances, a business — a nail salon. «My home is in Grodno. I am where my son is. We like it here, but it’s not our home,» she said. After six months of emigration, she moved her cat Vasily. He accepted her son immediately, Yulia — after a week. Now Vasily sleeps with her son, watches TV with him or lies on Yulia’s pedicure chair.
Yulia is waiting for the trial. She says that they can take away her property and citizenship, but not her memory, belonging to something and love for Hrodna and Belarus.