Posted:
01.10.2021 10:34:00
‘My heart is touched by Belarus’ beauty’
One hundred and fifty children from Donbass visit our country’s best camp
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A group of children from the Donetsk Region will be resting and recuperating at the Zubrenok National Children’s Educational and Health Centre from September 15th to October 5th, 2021. The corresponding order was signed by the President of Belarus.
The request to accept children from the Donetsk Region for recuperation in Belarus was addressed to the Head of State through charitable organisations. Aleksandr Lukashenko supported the initiative.
Alongside recreation and health improvement, an educational process and excursions and cultural events in iconic places of Belarus will be organised for children from the Donetsk Region.
The decision of the Head of State underlines the consistent course by Belarus aimed at pursuing a peaceful foreign policy, adherence to the ideas of humanism and mercy for children in need of care and support.
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It was expected to be a very positive report from Zubrenok — a camp that enthrals with its scale and landscapes. However, after meeting the children, everything turned out a little differently. They have fun, run, pass balls to each other and turn somersaults on the workout court — in a word, outwardly they are absolutely no different from their peers. Except one thing: their eyes — sparkling and naively pure — reflect pain and tragedy. When they talk about the war and the fears they experienced, you can’t even cry. You just stand rooted to the ground and listen in silence. It’s literally spine-tingling, you clearly understand why today there is so much talk about unity and why it needs to be protected.
Indivisible destinies
“Wow, look, the plane!” says the dark-skinned boy, distracted from the ball and looking after the white ‘path’ in the sky. An unusual beginning, I thought: the boy looks at least 13 years old, has he really never seen iron birds?
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“Hey, I’m 16! Nice to meet you, Rostislav Leonov,” the teenager corrects me. And, as if hearing a question frozen in the air, he adds, “I’m from Gorlovka, it’s an hour’s drive from Donetsk. Passenger planes haven’t flown over us for seven years, so I forgot what they look like.”
I’m almost burning with shame. This child sees beauty in such ordinary things for us... He continues to look after the airplane and quietly adds, “Do you know what war is? At the boarding school I was told that our town was very rich, famous for its businesses and people. In 2014, everything collapsed instantly. I remember how it started: I was awakened by the sounds of gunfire. I did not understand anything: my brother grabbed me, told me to throw all my things and run to the basement. We stayed there for several hours, and when we got out, we saw that a bomb had hit our neighbours and only small fragments remained from the windows.”
I don’t know what my face was expressing at that moment, but Rostik hastened to change the subject. Now, he says, his life is much calmer, “Now they shoot only on the outskirts, but we are used to it, it has become a part of life. Come on, look at the beauty around! This is my first time in Belarus: while I was driving, I almost cried, you have so many forests! And the buildings are generally super, I would like to live in places such as these. I believe that soon everything will work out in our home.”
Our conversation is interrupted by the camp counsellor: it’s time for Rostislav, without him they can’t start the sports day. The weather only plays up to the youngsters: the sun strokes the tops of the pines while Naroch playfully invites them to swim in the waves. It’s a pity it’s cold. But children already have things to do, and there’s much still ahead...
All the best is here and now
The first to leave the team are Anya Kuzminova and Lena Pustovit: they run to the hanging chairs to chat. I join them and ask them to tell me what they expect from the rest of their time in Belarus.
“When we were in the train and looked at the landscapes, our hearts skipped a beat. I have never seen such beauty,” Anya admits. “You have amazing air, it’s mesmerising around the forest! I really hope that we will have fun and will definitely try dishes of Belarusian cuisine.”
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“And I would like to forget about the war at least for a while and enjoy the rest,” Lena adds. “I’m looking forward to a tour of the castles and Minsk.”
In total, 150 children from orphanages, boarding schools, a Sunday school and a cadet school came to Zubrenok. Each of them has a very difficult fate, and this vacation is a small thing that we can help them with. Aleksei Talai’s charitable foundation helped organise the trip, and President Aleksandr Lukashenko supported the initiative and signed an order stating that the children will stay in the camp until October 5th. So, the three weeks should be unforgettable: every day children go in for sports, go to the massage centre and pool, participate in performances and competitions. They would have happily forgotten about their studies for this time, but camp counsellors prudently took books with them. On weekdays, camp teachers organise lessons for them: three lessons a day.
“You can’t even imagine how we dreamed of coming here,” the head of the group Alena Levitskaya doesn’t hide her emotions. “It took two days to get from Donetsk, passed three borders, and in Rostov we took a Belarusian train to Minsk. The kids’ eyes were really shining. They came up to me in turn and asked: ‘Can we take a picture of the station?’ I say: ‘Guys, just be calmer so that people don’t get scared’,” she says laughingly.
On the train, the children were not allowed to get bored by our conductors, and food was brought to them directly from the dining car.
“We took up three carriages, can you imagine how noisy it was?” Alena smiles. “But no one ever asked us to be quieter, the conductors were very kind. The children did not let their phones out of their hands, taking pictures of the landscapes all the time. They have never seen this, but thanks to the country’s leadership, Belarusians and, of course, Aleksei Talai, they were able to plunge into a fairy tale.”
Now the young guests have lunch, and then — a tour of the camp on small trains. They were accommodated in the beautiful ‘Star World’ building: the children live in blocks with showers, three people per room. In a word, the conditions are no worse than the hotel. But the most important thing: going out to the balcony in the morning, they will be able to contemplate the forest, lake and sky: calm, which they have dreamed of for so long.
![]()
A group of children from the Donetsk Region will be resting and recuperating at the Zubrenok National Children’s Educational and Health Centre from September 15th to October 5th, 2021. The corresponding order was signed by the President of Belarus.
The request to accept children from the Donetsk Region for recuperation in Belarus was addressed to the Head of State through charitable organisations. Aleksandr Lukashenko supported the initiative.
Alongside recreation and health improvement, an educational process and excursions and cultural events in iconic places of Belarus will be organised for children from the Donetsk Region.
The decision of the Head of State underlines the consistent course by Belarus aimed at pursuing a peaceful foreign policy, adherence to the ideas of humanism and mercy for children in need of care and support.
It was expected to be a very positive report from Zubrenok — a camp that enthrals with its scale and landscapes. However, after meeting the children, everything turned out a little differently. They have fun, run, pass balls to each other and turn somersaults on the workout court — in a word, outwardly they are absolutely no different from their peers. Except one thing: their eyes — sparkling and naively pure — reflect pain and tragedy. When they talk about the war and the fears they experienced, you can’t even cry. You just stand rooted to the ground and listen in silence. It’s literally spine-tingling, you clearly understand why today there is so much talk about unity and why it needs to be protected.
Indivisible destinies
“Wow, look, the plane!” says the dark-skinned boy, distracted from the ball and looking after the white ‘path’ in the sky. An unusual beginning, I thought: the boy looks at least 13 years old, has he really never seen iron birds?
“Hey, I’m 16! Nice to meet you, Rostislav Leonov,” the teenager corrects me. And, as if hearing a question frozen in the air, he adds, “I’m from Gorlovka, it’s an hour’s drive from Donetsk. Passenger planes haven’t flown over us for seven years, so I forgot what they look like.”
I’m almost burning with shame. This child sees beauty in such ordinary things for us... He continues to look after the airplane and quietly adds, “Do you know what war is? At the boarding school I was told that our town was very rich, famous for its businesses and people. In 2014, everything collapsed instantly. I remember how it started: I was awakened by the sounds of gunfire. I did not understand anything: my brother grabbed me, told me to throw all my things and run to the basement. We stayed there for several hours, and when we got out, we saw that a bomb had hit our neighbours and only small fragments remained from the windows.”
I don’t know what my face was expressing at that moment, but Rostik hastened to change the subject. Now, he says, his life is much calmer, “Now they shoot only on the outskirts, but we are used to it, it has become a part of life. Come on, look at the beauty around! This is my first time in Belarus: while I was driving, I almost cried, you have so many forests! And the buildings are generally super, I would like to live in places such as these. I believe that soon everything will work out in our home.”
Our conversation is interrupted by the camp counsellor: it’s time for Rostislav, without him they can’t start the sports day. The weather only plays up to the youngsters: the sun strokes the tops of the pines while Naroch playfully invites them to swim in the waves. It’s a pity it’s cold. But children already have things to do, and there’s much still ahead...
All the best is here and now
The first to leave the team are Anya Kuzminova and Lena Pustovit: they run to the hanging chairs to chat. I join them and ask them to tell me what they expect from the rest of their time in Belarus.
“When we were in the train and looked at the landscapes, our hearts skipped a beat. I have never seen such beauty,” Anya admits. “You have amazing air, it’s mesmerising around the forest! I really hope that we will have fun and will definitely try dishes of Belarusian cuisine.”
“And I would like to forget about the war at least for a while and enjoy the rest,” Lena adds. “I’m looking forward to a tour of the castles and Minsk.”
In total, 150 children from orphanages, boarding schools, a Sunday school and a cadet school came to Zubrenok. Each of them has a very difficult fate, and this vacation is a small thing that we can help them with. Aleksei Talai’s charitable foundation helped organise the trip, and President Aleksandr Lukashenko supported the initiative and signed an order stating that the children will stay in the camp until October 5th. So, the three weeks should be unforgettable: every day children go in for sports, go to the massage centre and pool, participate in performances and competitions. They would have happily forgotten about their studies for this time, but camp counsellors prudently took books with them. On weekdays, camp teachers organise lessons for them: three lessons a day.
“You can’t even imagine how we dreamed of coming here,” the head of the group Alena Levitskaya doesn’t hide her emotions. “It took two days to get from Donetsk, passed three borders, and in Rostov we took a Belarusian train to Minsk. The kids’ eyes were really shining. They came up to me in turn and asked: ‘Can we take a picture of the station?’ I say: ‘Guys, just be calmer so that people don’t get scared’,” she says laughingly.
On the train, the children were not allowed to get bored by our conductors, and food was brought to them directly from the dining car.
“We took up three carriages, can you imagine how noisy it was?” Alena smiles. “But no one ever asked us to be quieter, the conductors were very kind. The children did not let their phones out of their hands, taking pictures of the landscapes all the time. They have never seen this, but thanks to the country’s leadership, Belarusians and, of course, Aleksei Talai, they were able to plunge into a fairy tale.”
Now the young guests have lunch, and then — a tour of the camp on small trains. They were accommodated in the beautiful ‘Star World’ building: the children live in blocks with showers, three people per room. In a word, the conditions are no worse than the hotel. But the most important thing: going out to the balcony in the morning, they will be able to contemplate the forest, lake and sky: calm, which they have dreamed of for so long.
By Khristina GlushkoDirect speech
Aleksei Talai, Paralympian athlete, social activist, motivational trainer and businessman:
We are very glad to welcome children from the Donetsk Region to our country. This spring I happened to be there. I am fully aware of the difficulties and problems that adults, children and youth face there. I visited a Donetsk orphanage, and my heart leapt: I promised myself to do something for these children. Thank God, we see the guys on our Belarusian land, they were waiting for this. We are grateful that the Head of State so cordially supported this initiative, and the people who responded to the call for help.
