{"id":116822,"date":"2024-12-05T12:01:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T09:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/116822\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"belarusian-red-cross-crisis-allegations-funding-cuts-loss-of-trust","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/116822\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian Red Cross crisis: allegations, funding cuts, loss of trust"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Viktoryja Listapadava<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On December 1, it marked one year since the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) suspended the Belarusian Red Cross (BRC) over allegations against its secretary general, D\u017amitryj \u0160a\u016dco\u016d. These included his alleged involvement in the relocation of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine and comments encouraging Russia to use nuclear weapons.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (BelTA)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

BRC struggles with funding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On January 5, Buro Media<\/em> reported that the BRC would miss out on 4.42 million rubles (approximately $1.34 million) in funding due to the suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A week later, the BRC announced that it was freezing aid to foreigners\u2014including asylum seekers, refugees, migrants, and stateless persons\u2014due to a lack of access to international funding. Assistance to migrants accounted for 46.5 percent of the BRC\u2019s spending in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, the BRC raised membership fees and strengthened ties with the government in an attempt to survive. It requested that the Minsk City Executive Committee require health workers to donate 1 percent of their average monthly salary to the BRC once a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these challenges, the BRC has managed to fund most of its ongoing projects. The Open House center, which has provided assistance to people with mental illnesses since 2014, continues to operate in Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the BRC runs the Dapamoha service, employing over 100 nurses to provide medical and home care services to more than a thousand individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under \u0160a\u016dco\u016d\u2019s leadership, the BRC demonstrated a high level of loyalty to the regime. In May, he stated that over 200 children from Ukraine\u2019s Donetsk region had vacationed in Belarus since 2022.
His role in the displacement of Ukrainian children led to an entry ban from the European Union in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opposition group National Anti-Crisis Management reported that the BRC had brought over 3,500 children from occupied territories to Belarus since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The group claimed that these children were subjected to pro-Russian indoctrination during their visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex-employee: BRC cannot be independent or neutral<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, the BRC faced severe financial constraints, according to a source who spoke to The Viewer<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandra K., a former employee who worked for the BRC for almost ten years before \u0160a\u016dco\u016d\u2019s appointment, stated that the Dapamoha service had suspended operations in Minsk and significantly reduced its scope in the provinces due to the loss of international funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that the Dapamoha nurses provide medical care and run errands for their care recipients, significantly easing the burden on the healthcare system. Studies have shown that, after their visits, seniors are less likely to call an ambulance or go to a clinic because they can receive the care they need at home, including bandaging and pressure ulcer treatment. Additionally, the nurses teach family members how to care for elderly people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandra K. noted that BRC nurses were highly respected in smaller communities, providing essential support. However, she pointed out that demand for nurses has far outstripped supply after layoffs at the Dapamoha service and other BRC units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nurses\u2019 salaries have always consisted of a base pay and a bonus. These programs could traditionally be funded by either the government or international organizations. The reduction in funding has led to a sharp decrease in nurses’ earnings, making positions at the BRC less attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow that there is drastically less money from funders, the solution has been to lay off staff,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BRC administration, including its accounting department, has also been downsized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Red Cross organizations may have also reduced funding for the BRC. Alaksandra K. expressed doubts about whether the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) continues to cooperate with the BRC. Indeed, the SRC\u2019s website only lists information on projects from 2022, including those designed to support the Dapamoha service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, 79.3 percent of funding for the BRC\u2019s Dapamoha program came from domestic sources, including membership dues and private donations (49.3 percent), government funding (23 percent), and fundraisers (7 percent). A year earlier, domestic sources accounted for only 39 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this increase in domestic funding, the BRC still lacks sufficient resources to meet the growing demand for nurses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandra K. emphasized that, with the decline in international funding, the BRC has become increasingly reliant on the government. \u201cIn 2024, it became a government agency, not a partner,\u201d she stated. In authoritarian Belarus, she believes, the BRC cannot remain independent and neutral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of effort, time, and money went into making the BRC internationally recognized and improving the scope and quality of its services. Now it is all in ruins due to financial problems, and it\u2019s painful to see,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandra K. supports the IFRC\u2019s decision to suspend the BRC, calling it \u201cabsolutely fair,\u201d as she believes the BRC no longer adheres to the principles of the Red Cross movement. She also expressed concern that more and more people in need will be left without help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expert: rebuilding trust will be challenging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Stanis\u0142a\u016d Sa\u0142aviej, deputy head of the United Transitional Cabinet for social policy, said that the BRC has no right to use the Red Cross brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to him, an organization using the Red Cross emblem and name must adhere to the principles of neutrality, impartiality and assistance to those in need, including those affected by armed conflict and internal strife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sa\u0142aviej pointed out that these principles allowed the Red Cross to function even under Nazi occupation during World War II. The organization served as a communication channel between countries, delivered food and provided assistance in prisoner-of-war camps while remaining true to its humanitarian mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argued that the BRC no longer complies with these principles because \u201ccontributions to the BRC are mandatory, and the organization is not politically neutral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sa\u0142aviej also recalled that in July 2023, BRC head D\u017amitryj \u0160a\u016dco\u016d visited Donbas, wearing clothes emblazoned with the Z-symbol, indicating his pro-Russian stance and support for the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his TV appearances, \u0160a\u016dco\u016d has spread Russian propaganda and defended Russia\u2019s aggression. He has not visited any Ukrainian cities destroyed by Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSupporting one side in the conflict is unacceptable for an organization like the Red Cross,\u201d Sa\u0142aviej stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also noted that \u0160a\u016dco\u016d had previously been in charge of the Minsk City Election Commission, which was suspected of involvement in election fraud during the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BRC has been directly involved in the transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied territories, raising serious concerns about its neutrality and adherence to the principles of the Red Cross, he charged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe BRC operates as part of Belarusian state propaganda, which is incompatible with the standards expected from such an organization,\u201d Sa\u0142aviej said. He added that the government controls the BRC and appoints its leadership, noting, \u201cThe Red Cross in Belarus is a branch of the Ministry of Health, fulfilling the social and political agenda of the government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sa\u0142aviej acknowledged that the suspension of the BRC by the IFRC was particularly painful given the country\u2019s internal and external challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe country is facing an exodus of social and healthcare workers. Residential institutions for the elderly are closing. A full-scale war is raging nearby that requires BRC resources. But for the government, the political aspect is more important than human lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be surprised if, when this government falls, Belarus will need help from the international Red Cross with medicines and humanitarian aid,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sa\u0142aviej also pointed out that the BRC should be granted access to prisoners and allowed to inspect correctional institutions and detention centers. The Red Cross was supposed to help activists who suffered brutality during the 2020 protests, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a Red Cross tent, a person is automatically protected, they are untouchable. It\u2019s a sacred place,\u201d Sa\u0142aviej explained. However, he believes the government has compromised the organization’s mission in Belarus. \u201cNow, there will be quite different memories of the Red Cross,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sa\u0142aviej suggested that rebuilding trust in the BRC would be a long and difficult process, particularly if the organization remains dependent on the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"