Belarusian widow campaigns to let foreign volunteers receive Hero of Ukraine title

Until the end of July, signatures are being collected for a petition to the President of Ukraine calling for changes to laws so that foreign volunteers can be awarded the title of "Hero of Ukraine".

The initiator of the current appeal is a Belarusian woman living in Ukraine and former volunteer Veranika Yanovych. She is the widow of the fallen Belarusian volunteer Alexei Lazarau, who was killed at the end of January 2026. He was a software engineer and activist who participated in the 2019 parliamentary elections in Belarus. The couple was forced to leave Belarus in 2021: they first went to Georgia, and then to Ukraine. When the full-scale war began, both joined the Kalinowski Regiment, and in March of that same year they got married.

— This will help preserve the memory of heroes who were not obliged to fight for Ukraine, but who gave their lives, health, and futures for the cause, — Veranika tells Euroradio.

The idea that Veranika is fighting for has been raised in public discourse before. Back in 2022, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko proposed a draft law on amendments to the law "On State Awards of Ukraine" regarding the conferral of the title of Hero of Ukraine on persons who are not citizens of Ukraine. It was included in the agenda, but no decision on it has been made to this day.

Veranika believes that this law would be beneficial not only for foreigners, but for Ukrainians themselves.

— Both in Ukraine and in Belarus, many historical facts have been lost due to the influence of the Soviet system. We can now, in this moment, preserve as much information as possible about the people who fought for us and whose stories should inspire future generations.

The Belarusian woman says she often has to explain that adopting the amendment would not automatically mean that the award would be given to every foreigner.

— This is the highest award, given for outstanding deeds. We are asking specifically to correct an injustice in the system, so that the conditions for receiving awards are equal for Ukrainians and foreigners.

"Correcting an Injustice"

Veranika says that during the time the petition has been circulating, the most common reaction among Ukrainians has been surprise at the existence of such restrictions.

— That is understandable, because ordinary people rarely know all the legal nuances regarding foreigners in our countries. Most people, when they find out, express support and solidarity, sign the petition, and help spread it.

I haven't encountered any particular negativity. I've seen some opinions that such titles are a "Soviet relic" that doesn't exist in other countries, but those people are in the minority. Most people are simply surprised that the problem hasn't been resolved yet.

"Hero of Ukraine" is the highest state distinction in the country, established in 1998. It is awarded exclusively to citizens of Ukraine (unlike other military awards); however, in 2017, following the adoption of an amendment by the Verkhovna Rada, the first (and so far the only) foreigner to posthumously receive this award, as an exception, was the Belarusian Mikhail Zhiznevsky, who participated in the Revolution of Dignity and was honored with the Order of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

Yanovych herself recently posted another figure on social media: 1,702 foreign volunteers have died defending Ukraine since 2022 (data from Wikipedia; no official confirmation is available).

"Not Betraying Those Who Have Already Died, Having Given the Most Precious Thing"

The idea of creating a petition arose after Alexei's death. Veranika recalls that after that she communicated extensively with his brothers-in-arms and his commander. It was the commander who suggested compiling documents for the highest award, as he considered Lazarau worthy of it. But after conversations with lawyers, it turned out that this was impossible.

— I thought about how Lyosha would have reacted to this, and realized that he would have wanted justice not only for himself, but for others as well. It was never his goal, but I think he would have been pleased to receive recognition.

I thought for a long time and read a great deal about the culture of memory, and I thought that the way I can honor Lyosha now is to correct this situation and make it possible for foreign volunteers to receive this title.

This pain is easier to bear when you carry Lyosha's spirit. And in this life you have to do something good, however much of it remains.

Veranika runs the signature collection campaign on her social media. The Belarusian woman shared that even an adviser from the Office of the President of Ukraine responded to one of her recent posts. If she had the opportunity to speak with Volodymyr Zelensky, Veranika would generally be interested in meeting him, but on the other hand, right now it is "hard to find the words."

— Because everything that is happening is a great and terrible pain. Which comes to people very suddenly.

Lyosha is buried in the field of honor at a cemetery in Lviv, and I see how it keeps growing. Sometimes I come and there are burials taking place. I see the pain of families, of children.

It is impossible to take away someone else's pain, but I would want it to cease. The only path to that is to not stop fighting, not to betray those who have already died having given the most precious thing, and to keep faith in a just end. I did not know that life could be this painful. I am coping, because I know I am not alone.

At the time of publication, 8,138 signatures out of the required 25,000 had been collected.