'Maryia Zaitsava Voluntarily Went To The Frontlines'
- 19.01.2025, 18:49
The commanders speak about the Belarusian woman who died heroically in Ukraine.
In August 2020, the media circled the picture of 19-year-old Maryia Zaitsava, seriously injured at the protests in Minsk. On January 17, 2024, she died in Ukraine, in the Pokrovsk direction. Radio Liberty asked the girl's unit members.
On January 17, information appeared about the death of Belarusian volunteer Maryia Zaitsava. She had been seriously injured during the 2020 August protests in Minsk. As it became known to Radio Liberty, Maryia first came to the front in Ukraine in the spring of 2023. She was injured and returned to the Czech Republic, where she lived after escaping from Belarus. On January 16, 2024, Maryia went to Ukraine for the second time. At that time, she was 23 years old. At the front, Zaitsava served in the Second International Legion. First in the medical unit, then as a sniper.
Fellow unit members described the last years and months of the Belarusian young woman's life.
She was saving lives, and translating from English.
Ales Petrovski serves in the Second International Legion. In 2023, he was the head of the medical unit there. Replenishment arrived in the Legion, including the Belarusian girl, who came from the Kalinouski regiment. And also Maryia Zaitsava, who came from the Czech Republic.
“Why did she decide to join the volunteers? I think she just wanted Belarus to be free. She was offended that she was actually expelled from the country, she wanted to go back. It really knocked her down — the fact that she had to leave Belarus," says Ales Petrovski.
He recalls that Ukrainian children sometimes gave gifts, drawings and bracelets to Belarusian volunteers.
“And some of the bracelets were red-green. I took them, I couldn't refuse the children. But Masha could not see this combination — red and green," the commander notes.
He characterizes Maryia as a kind, beautiful, bright person, everyone was drawn to her. Ales says she has been “a bright spot in my life for the last three years.”
The new girl was brought to the head doctor because, as he says, they did not know what to do with her.
"A small one, she had now skills to use weapons. Well, what to do with her?" Petrovski recalls. So Maryia got into the medical unit. Although, Ales notes, there is no difference in the trenches or in the assault whether you are a doctor or not. Volunteers should be able to do everything, but doctors still know how to help — put a turnstile, provide first aid.
The commander says that Maryia also served as an interpreter in the International Legion, as she had fluent English. There are people from different parts of the world in the Legion, not all of them speak Ukrainian or Russian.
"Maryia Zaitsava voluntarily went to the frontlines"
Ales Petrovsky recalls that Maria was taught military skills by the soldiers themselves, including how to handle weapons. According to the commander, the girl shot very well, although she had no such experience before.
Ales, together with Maryia, was in the trenches in the Serebryanski forest — the hot spot of the front in the Luhansk region.
“The battalion commander resisted for Masha to go to the trenches, because everyone took care of her as much as they could. But after the death of 'Minsk' [a Belarusian volunteer - Ed., she went to our positions, although she could not do it," Ales said.
In the summer of 2024, the legion was rotated. Many took advantage of this to take new courses — tactical medicine, control of portable anti-aircraft systems or drones. Maryia went to study as a shooter, Ales' friend helped her. She was training for three months — from August to October 2024. Around November, she returned to service, but as a sniper.
"She was joking — here we will return to Belarus, I am like a sniper, you are like a UAV commander," he added.
“She was the battalion's favorite.”
Ruslan Miroshnichenko was the commander of the Second International Legion until November 2024, where Maryia Zaitsava served. Now, for health reasons, he is temporarily not serving, he is undergoing treatment. "The death of Maryia was a personal loss for me," says Miroshnichenko. "Because there were family-like relations between the fighters in the legion." Maryia was treated like our daughter.
In general, she was the battalion's favorite," emphasizes Ruslan Miroshnichenko.
He recalls that the Belarusian girl came to serve in the Legion almost from the very beginning of the formation of the unit.
“A child came to me. Motivated, determined, stubborn, with a thirst for action, for the liberation of Ukraine. We do not share the concepts of "liberation of Ukraine" and "liberation of Belarus", because we believe that after the liberation of Ukraine from the Russian invasion, aggression, the next will be Belarus, " says the commander of the Legion.
He first assigned Maryia to serve at the infirmary because she had the appropriate skills. In 2023, the Legion performed combat missions in the Donetsk region. There, Maryia Zaitsava worked in the crew of medical evacuation of the wounded, then expressed a desire to serve as a combat medic, directly on the positions, in the trenches providing first aid to the wounded.
"We felt a shortage of combat medics in positions, so her determination corresponded to the tasks and necessity, the requirements of the unit. But as a person, I treated her like my daughter, so it was very difficult for me to make a decision. I wanted her to take less risks. But her determination and perseverance won out. Maryia has been in the trenches since the summer of 2023 and performed combat missions," said Ruslan Miroshnichenko.
He recalls how determined Zaitsava returned to the Second International Legion after being wounded and treated in the Czech Republic. At the same time, she expressed a desire to learn to be a sniper.
"The instructors were watching her closely, wondering if she could handle it or not. But Maryia began to show quite good results at the shooting range. At first, she was not allowed on combat missions, but when she proved her endurance and accuracy, she went on combat missions...
Light, decisive, very easy to communicate, but always polite, with respect for people... I can't say that she 'was' a very bright child. She was a grief for the entire battalion.
Because like I said, she was our darling. Maryia was one of the few veterans who remained in it, who went through heavy battles. We have lost part of our family, part of ourselves," added Ruslan Miroshnichenko.
On January 17, Russian artillery hit the positions, and Maryia Zaitsava was there.
Maryia's body was taken from the battlefield on January 18. Nothing is known about the funeral yet.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, about 70 Belarusian volunteers who fought on the side of Kyiv have died at the front.