May 26, Pozirk. Ina Kulej, wife of Alaksandar Milinkievič, a former opposition presidential candidate in the 2006 Belarusian presidential election, has launched a public appeal seeking financial assistance for her husband, who is in a serious health condition.
The carotid artery stenting procedure the politician underwent in late November “did not turn out as we had hoped,” she wrote on Facebook, noting that her husband suffered brain swelling and spent three weeks in intensive care in critical condition.
“With God’s help and thanks to your prayers, he survived,” Kulej said. “Then began long months of battling infections, which, unfortunately, are rampant in hospitals and are especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. Pneumonia, an intestinal infection, pneumonia again. . . Not everyone could have withstood such an onslaught, but Alaksandar did.”
She said the left side of his brain responsible for intellect, speech and memory, was not affected, yet the right side, which controls movement, was damaged. As a result, Milinkievič lost function in his left arm and has limited mobility in his legs, requiring constant medical supervision and intensive rehabilitation. “All of this costs money,” she added, noting that expenses for treatment, rehabilitation, medication, and daily hospital visits have become unmanageable.
“When we were healthy and working together, we had enough for a decent life. Now everything has changed,” she said, appealing for financial help from friends and supporters.
Milinkievič is an ally of Belarusian pro-democracy leader Śviatlana Cichanoŭskaja and serves as the chancellor of the Free Belarusian University.
He left Belarus fearing persecution. In December 2023, police searched his home in the Hrodna region.
