Belarusians in exile targeted

A chapel used by Belarusians in exile in Lithuania has been attacked and a cultural centre has been vandalised.

On 4 September, a gunshot blasted the window of the Orthodox chapel of St Leontius Karpovich in Vilnius. The Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Lithuania reported that a bullet had been found on the window sill.

“We have called the police, they have started an investigation but have not found anything yet. We are, of course, a refuge for Belarusians who do not support the ideology of the ‘Russian world’, the war in Ukraine and so on,” said Orthodox priest Gintaras Sungaila.

He told The Tablet that Fr Georgy Roy, who ministers to Belarusians in Vilnius, had been forced to leave Belarus. “He is facing criminal proceedings in his homeland, his property has been seized and threatened with confiscation,” Sungaila said.

Between 4-5 September, two other sites connected to the Belarusian community were also vandalised. Graffiti saying “No place for Belarusian parasites here” was smeared in red paint on a vehicle in front of a shelter housing Belarusians, and two windows of the Belarusian Cultural Centre smashed.

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