24-year-old Belarusian volunteer soldier killed in action near Bakhmut

Maria Zaitseva, a 24-year-old Belarusian volunteer soldier fighting for Ukraine, was killed in action near the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 17, Nasha Niva reported.

Zaitseva joined the Ukrainian army after the start of Russia's full-scale war and fought with the 2nd International Legion Battalion.

She turned 24 on Jan. 16, a day before she was killed by Russian forces.

In August 2020, Zaitseva participated in the protests in Minsk against alleged presidential election fraud in Belarus. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed to have won elections by a landslide with 80% of the vote, provoking nationwide protests and a subsequent regime crackdown on dissent.

During protests, fragments of a flash grenade severely injured Zaitseva's arm and head. Her photo from the protests with her face covered in blood went viral.

"Gravely injured during the 2020 Belarus protests, she gave her life for freedom," said Belarusian opposition leader Svitlana Tsikhanouskaya, describing Zaitseva as "an icon of our revolution."

After being injured, Zaitseva was treated in the Czech Republic, where she underwent several surgeries. She said that the injury caused a hematoma in her brain. She also lost hearing in one ear.

Hundreds of Belarusians have joined the Ukrainian army since 2014, and over 60 of them have been killed in action, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. In Belarus, volunteer fighters risk imprisonment, and the Lukashenko regime harasses their families.

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The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan