Lukashenka's “Sonderkommando” ruins village

Vitebsk is preparing for dictator's visit.

Houses, outbuildings and gardens in the village of Paulovichy are being destroyed before the eyes of villagers.

People explain the situation by a visit of Lukashenka to Vitebsk. Local residents don't know who ordered to destroy the village. They didn't see any official documents. Some officials appeared in the village and introduced themselves as representatives of the Pershamaiski district executive committee. They ordered the residents to get their belongings and leave houses within two days, Radio Svaboda reports.

A resident of the village of Paulovichy says that unknown people and policemen visited their house at 7 p.m. on Saturday. They introduced themselves as representatives of the Pershamaiski district executive committee and said the peopling living in all nine houses should be evicted, because the houses would be ruined in two days.

Awful things happen in Paulovichy, the woman says:

“They are burning trees! Some people didn't have time to take away their belonging. An excavator is ruining the houses! We were told at 7 p.m. On Saturday that we had to leave. Now the excavator destroys the buildings. Policemen from the Pershamaiski district police department twisted arms of a woman and broke down her mobile phone. It's a nightmare!”

The local residents are not allowed to film the events. They applied to the state television and left their contacts to tell about the situation, but no reaction followed. They then went to independent journalists. Houses, gardens and vegetable beds are being destroyed, but no one is going to compensate for the losses.

The villagers are angry at the decision to evict them in winter. It was done because the village lies on the way of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who is expected in Vitebsk in the nearest days.

“They are preparing for the visit of Lukashenka! We sent a complaint to the presidential administration in May. We complained that nothing had been built there for the last 20 years. We asked official permission to register land plots if we have houses here. We didn't get an answer, but saw this 'combat operation' instead,” the resident of Paulovichy says.