Voice of America
05 Feb 2023, 03:36 GMT+10
KYIV, Ukraine - A funeral for a Belarusian military volunteer and activist who died fighting on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine was held Saturday in Kyiv.
Eduard Lobau was killed in fierce artillery battles in Vuhledar against Russian troops as part of a small but dynamic regiment of Belarusian dissidents fighting alongside the Ukrainian armed forces. His body will be taken to Warsaw for burial.
Russian troops have ramped up attacks in the east of Ukraine, particularly in the industrial towns of Bakhmut and Vuhledar. Moscow has said its main goal is to capture the eastern Donetsk province which it considers a part of Russia.
Lobau is the latest casualty of the Kalinowsky Regiment, the unit named after a prominent Belarusian revolutionary who initiated an uprising against imperial Russia in the late 1800s. Volunteers oppose Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia. They believe Ukraine's victory over Russia will spur regime change in Minsk.
"This is a very special regiment, consisting only of Belarusians. This is not their country, this is not their nation, but it's their war," said Bohdan Yaremenko, a lawmaker in Ukraine's parliament who attended the funeral. "I am here as a sign of my support, and of my solidarity from my heart to theirs."
Olena Kharkhel, held a portrait of Lobau in the church as his comrades paid their last respects. Her husband, also a Belarusian dissident, died fighting in the east with the regiment in June. He and Lobau had been good friends.
"By fighting against Russia, we can liberate Belarus from Lukashenko's regime," she said.
One by one, the volunteers walked to Lobau's coffin, draped with the Belarusian flag to pay their last respects in Kyiv's Cathedral of St. Alexander. Most covered their faces to conceal their identities.
Lobau served four years of jail time for acts of disobedience in his native Belarus in 2010. Following his release in 2014 he fled to Ukraine and joined the armed forces as a military volunteer.
Belarusians make up a prominent contingent of foreign fighters in Ukraine. Russia's invasion of Ukraine propelled them to mobilize. The regiment itself was formalized in March 2022 and has been active in numerous key battles from the early days of the war, including in Mykolaiv, Kherson and the defense of Bucha and Irpin. Lobau participated in the latter.
"We can say he spent his entire life defending high ideals and sacrificing for others," said friend and fellow volunteer Jan Melnikov.
Get a daily dose of Dublin News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Dublin News.
More InformationBASTROP, Texas: In a surprising turn at Elon Musk's X platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced she is stepping down, just months after...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rebounded Tuesday with all the major indices gaining ground. Markets in the UK, Europe and Canada...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Financial markets kicked off the week on a cautious note as President Donald Trump rolled out a fresh round...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Irish Rail incurred over 26,000 euros in damages due to a series of graffiti incidents carried out by a 24-year-old...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Taoiseach Micheál Martin has expressed cautious optimism that the European Union and the United States can strike...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Despite extreme heat gripping much of mainland Europe, Irish holidaymakers are pressing ahead with their travel plans,...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...