The door to European life is closed for many Belarusians in Poland and Lithuania

In Poland, obtaining a residence permit has turned into an endless lottery — documents wait for years, while temporary stamps are valid for only six months, causing constant problems with employment, banks, doctors, and local authorities. Particularly striking is that 'activists' from 2020 continue to seek international protection in large numbers. In Lithuania, the situation is even worse: the number of Belarusians with residence permits is rapidly decreasing, and refusals to extend them are coming in droves. In 2025, 1,634 Belarusians were declared 'a threat to national security' — a direct sentence for deportation without the right to appeal. The pursuit of a 'bright European future' has turned into poverty and the status of perpetual beggars for most — this is the price of betraying one's country.