Press freedom remains a cherished right for all democracies, whether they are nascent or fully fledged ones. In Draconian societies, like modern-day Belarus, it still has not been achieved, and in many instances, systematically thwarted by cruel and autocratic paranoia. The regime of Alexander Lukashenska, a strongman since 1994, has taken its cues—and increased dependence—from Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Hanna Liubakova, a Belarusian journalist, researcher, and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, who had been forced to flee her country for raising concerns about Lukashenka’s strongman grip on his government, routinely speaks out at international conferences and forums on the essential need for uniform press freedom.
In its annual World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Russia and Belarus 172nd and 165th place, respectively, out of a total of 180 countries and territories analyzed by the organization. 48 journalists and media workers remain detained in Russia and 21 in Belarus, as reported by TVPWorld.
“It is important to speak about transnational repression because, first of all, authoritarian regimes are growing,” said Liubakova in April. “There are more and more people who are facing this threat—the threat of transnational repression—in the democratic world. So, that is why there would be more pressure on democratic countries, because more people are coming and also because of authoritarianism being on the rise and threatening democracies.”
Hanna Liubakova, an intrepid journalist and non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, speaks at a panel discussion. (Photo used with permission by MSC/Kuhlmann).
Transnational repression occurs when foreign governments reach across national borders to “silence, threaten, or harass dissidents, journalists, and diaspora members,” as defined by Freedom House. “Perpetrators use tactics ranging from digital surveillance and family intimidation to physical violence, unlawful deportations, and assassinations.”
“Belarus is now a node in a wider authoritarian supply chain,” Liubakova tells me. “Belarusian defense firms are incorporating Chinese components into optics used by Russian tanks, as Chinese and Belarusian troops held joint drills near NATO’s borders in July 2024.”
Months before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Lukashenka regime launched what many political observers deemed as “hybrid warfare” against Poland and two Baltic States, Lithuania and Latvia. At the time, Belarus opened its borders, allowing over 4,000 migrants from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen to seek entry into these countries.
“For many years, Lukashenka’s dictatorial regime and independent media existed parallel to each other. We were allowed to work, but at the same time, we were always pressured,” Mikhail Arshynski, a camera operator and producer who spent three years working with Belsat TV, tells me.
“While the state media were spreading lies and propaganda, we gave people a piece of freedom and truth,” continues Arshynski. “Many Belarusians watched us, in hopes of making it a part of the European fabric. The overwhelming part of the population took to the streets in 2020 against Lukashenka’s dictatorial regime, and after that, a series of events reversed the democratic process in our country. Media control over Belarus was seized by Putin through his puppet, Lukashenka.”
Arshynski worked with Daria Chultsova, a journalist who later was arrested with Katsyaryna Andreyeva for their coverage of the demonstrations in Minsk in the fall of 2020. They were convicted and accused by authorities of controlling the riots.
“Daria and I met before she worked in the media. Together we produced many video reports and [documented] people’s problems,” adds Arshynski.
On Nov. 15, 2020, Andreyeva and Chultsova were detained for reporting on the police’s brutal dispersal of the Raman Bandarenka memorial action at Minsk’s “Change Square.” Bandarenka, a young opposition supporter, had been beaten to death by officers in civilian clothes less than a week earlier.
Katsyaryna Andreyeva, a Belsat TV broadcaster, was detained in Nov. 2020 while she was reporting live on protests in Minsk. She served over five years in prison, sentenced twice on bogus charges of “organizing and preparing of actions that grossly violate public order,” and later, “treason.” She was released in March 2026. (Photo provided by WikiCommons).
Andreyeva and Chultsova were charged with “organizing and preparing actions that seriously violated public order,” and were arrested with harsh sentences. Andreyeva was arrested after secretly live-streaming the government’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters following rigged elections for Belsat TV. In Sept. 2022, Chultsova was released after serving a full two-year sentence in a women’s penal colony in Homiel. Andreyeva, meanwhile, was sentenced a second time on treason charges, and served over five years.
Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich, a brilliant actress from Minsk with a seasoned theatrical background, portrays Lena – based on the trials and tribulations Andreyeva had experienced – in Mara Tamkovich‘s debut feature, Under the Grey Sky. The film searingly depicts a jailed female reporter and her husband’s unyielding commitment to set her free. It is beset by the harsh climate of modern-day Belarus.
Tamkovich’s film “gives voice to those reduced to silence and denounces the atrocities committed by the Lukashenka regime,” writes Leila Tavi, editor of E-go Times. “Tamkovich’s perspective offers an intimate view of the courage and resilience of the Belarusian people, highlighting the importance of freedom of information and the fight against censorship.”
Vaitsekhovic’s role of Lena is that of an intrepid journalist who is intercepted by a police drone while covering the demonstrations that grow increasingly violent. Alongside her camera operator, she is detained and then, arrested. Her husband, Ilya, played by Valentin Novopolskiy, seeks her release for the duration of the picture. The film chronicles their deep-seated love and ultimate quest for liberation. Tamkovich’s film is the follow-up to her short, Na Zywo [Live], which premiered at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in 2022.
Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich brings levels of unbridled sincerity & pathos to her roles on stage & in film. (Photo provided by A. Vaitsekhovich).
“I read the real letters of my heroine, Kacia, that she wrote to her husband. I also lost weight during filming. All the time, I had to try and understand who she was,” Vaitsekhovic explains to me. “I was very lucky with our team, partners and for Mara, as she’s a very deep person and a competent director. It is to her merit that she managed to assemble such a warm team. She is so very balanced that I never once heard her raise her voice. She confidently steered the ship.”
Vaitsekhovich is also a successful theater coach and teacher living in Wrocław, Poland. In Minsk, she played varied roles on stage, including star turns in “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Next to Normal.” She also played in Belarusian movies. Upon settling in Wrocław, Vaitsekhovich also opened up a film school, Nook, with two other partners.
Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich sings “The Fools Who Dream” from the musical, “La La Land” in Minsk, Belarus. (Photo provided by A. Vaitsekhovich).
“I looked at Kacia’s photos, and I wrote her letters. I [needed to] understand what she was like, but, we weren’t making a documentary,” continues Vaitsekhovich. “For this role, I always reminded myself that in order to understand this, I must act, and let it pass through within me. I have had dramatic roles before, and I love them all. But I think that I’ve been waiting for this kind of role for my whole life.”
Vaitsekhovich chose early on that she had two options as a professional: either be an actress or be a journalist. Her rebellious streak has served her well with acting, especially in playing Lena.
Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich, a Belarusian native living in Wrocław, Poland is a multi-dimensional actress, theatre coach and entrepreneur. She stars in Mara Tamkovich’s award-winning ‘Under the Grey Sky’ in the lead role as Lena. (Photo provided by A. Vaitsekhovich).
“That’s why it’s ironic that I played a journalist,” Vaitsekhovich confides to me. “I’ve always been a fighter for the truth.” During her time in school, Vaitsekhovich, “had often expressed my opinion against some inadequate system where I received a reprimand from the teachers. I set the course in a certain direction, which is not always favorable for the system. In the theater, I also rebelled and spoke out openly as I was not afraid of anyone. I was not going to remain silent. But I know the price of not being silent. Although I was lucky and fate protected me. I soon understood clearly that I would not get away with it. I understood the consequences [of the dangers of the Lukashenka regime] and chose my family.”
Mara Tamkovich’s debut award-winning feature film Under the Grey Sky depicts the story of a married couple living under great duress in Belarus. (Photo by Igor Kuna/Scriptfiesta).
“With Na zywo (Live), I largely worked on the basic record of events that introduced the basis for the plot, which had been two journalists streaming from an apartment and getting arrested,” Under the Grey Sky‘s writer and director, Mara Tamkovich tells me. “As far as the characters, tensions, dramatic structure, these were all from my imagination. I did not know any of them at the time and wanted to focus on telling a compelling, intense, plot-driven short story. With Under the Grey Sky, I dug deeper, and this film is driven by characters, but not events. It is their way of dealing with what happened,” she adds.
Red is a potent metaphorical symbol within the film. As a viewer, it is impossible to ignore Lena’s beaming red sweater, and not think about seeing it in allegorical terms.
“Red, as a color that we have chosen for the protagonist in the film, had several layers,” reveals Tamkovich. “It’s within the visual power of the color, which usually represents passion, fight and energy. It is also a good and meaningful contrast to the repressed and powerless sha4des of bluish grey of the surrounding reality. It’s also the color that, for me, connected with Kacia, who serves as the inspiration to the protagonist. The red sweater appeared in Na Zywo but in Under the Grey Sky, it also became a color reserved for Lena and her space,” she says.
“I am proud to say that the film’s journey has overcome our expectations — and I am extremely grateful to everyone who made it happen,” adds Tamkovich. “We had a great world premiere at Tribeca Festival and at the Torino Film Festival. [There, it won] the Scuola Holden Special Mention, and at the Gdynia Polish Film Festival, it won the Best Debut feature. We have been nominated at Camerimage in Toruń, so huge praise to our director of photography, Krzysztof Trela. All of this recognition means the world to me and the whole team. With each and every award we get, I dedicate it to Kacia and her husband, Ihar Ilyash. It’s about them and their story.”
On May 7, a newly freed Katsyaryna Andreyeva joined Belarus’s opposition figure, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, for a special screening of Under the Grey Sky at the Kino Elektronik in Warsaw. “At first, it seemed to me that I wouldn’t be able to attend; that I would cry a lot. Because of that, I wouldn’t be able to hold back my emotions,” she said. Andreyeva underscored that journalists still languish in Belarusian jails, and that their freedom remains the imperative goal.