In many districts of the Brest region, where there are no large industrial companies, people are forced to look for work outside their native towns and villages. That’s possible now, when there’s a war going on nearby – in Ukraine – in the DW stuff.

It is dangerous to pick berries in the Belarusian-Ukrainian border area

Restrictions and bans on visiting forests in Belarus are usually introduced during a fire hazard period. However, this year authorities began to apply such measures even in early spring, when wildfires were almost not dangerous.

For example, in Stolin district, restrictions were introduced on March 31 and have not been lifted until now. Local residents are sure that this is not related to the fire hazard situation, but to the war in Ukraine.

“In recent years, if our forests were closed to visitors, just for a while, while it was hot,” says Mikhail, a resident of the village of Olmany. Ukraine is nearby and we need to monitor border security.”

Formal confirmation of the fact that it is the “Ukrainian factor” that is the main reason for introducing restrictive measures was the notification of local authorities about the movement of military equipment on the territory of the Stolin region from 15 to 20 July. Official information about the movement of military convoys also appeared in the districts of Ivanovo and Drogichin, which also border Ukraine. The authorities assure that these are planned events and urge citizens to “remain calm and treat combat training events with understanding”.

Fruit harvest becomes the main source of income

In the Gantsevichi district of the Brest region, walking in the forest is now allowed, which has caused a real boom in the blueberry harvest season, for which these places are famous. Eyewitnesses say that many people buy berries, including retirees and children, which allows them to earn an income that is not comparable to the salary of companies in the region.

“Unfortunately, the reality is that picking blueberries is no longer just an opportunity to earn extra money and stock up on useful fruits for the winter. For many, those summer trips to the forest become their main source of income,” explains Alexander, a resident of one of the villages of Gantsevichi.

You can earn up to 50 euros a day in blueberries

According to him, well-trained people can harvest up to 25 kilograms of blueberries a day and, at a high purchase price, earn about 130 Belarusian rubles (almost 50 euros). However, far from everyone can collect so many blueberries, and the price of growers often disappoints villagers.

“But people really have no choice: there are almost no large state-owned enterprises in the district, there are few decent wages in agriculture, and not everyone can find a job with private traders,” Alexander shares his observations and adds that the Gantsevichi district is considered a of the poorest in the country. Even according to official statistics, the salary accrued here (before taxes and social security contributions) for May 2022 was 1,133 Belarusian rubles, which corresponds to about 435 euros.

There is a shortage of personnel in the regions of Belarus

A few years ago, residents of Belarusian provinces were looking for options to earn money, including in Russia, but now there are very few people who want to go there. As Vyacheslav, a resident of Brest, who previously worked in the Moscow region, said, the flow of migrant workers has dropped dramatically during the pandemic, and now job offers in EU countries look more attractive in terms of financial conditions.

“I communicate with my colleagues who recently left for Poland and other Western countries: they confirm that our drivers, builders, electricians are in demand there. And now not only in small Belarusian cities, but also in Brest, Minsk, there is a serious problem, shortage of workers’ specialties”, observes Vyacheslav.

A similar situation is developing in the medical field, and health institutions in the regions are understaffed in the first place. On condition of anonymity, a resident of Malorita, a district center for the Brest region, told DW that she had to travel to Brest, where she got a job as a nurse at one of the hospitals.

“There are also vacancies in Malorita at the local hospital, but the most you would get for a full-time job is 650 rubles (about 250 euros). Otherwise, I can work overtime and try to earn more,” says the girl. .

Judging by the data published in the vacancy database of the state employment service, in mid-July 2022, there were 475 specialist doctors and 344 nurses missing in the Brest region.

The war in Ukraine put an end to border trade

For a long time, low-income residents of Belarusian regions were saved by the opportunity to spend an economic vacation at sea in Ukraine and buy food and goods for school children for the new school year. The restrictions caused by COVID-19 have disrupted the prospects for cross-border trade, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has finally closed options for Belarusians to leave the country.

School market in the Brest region

“Now I can’t even imagine how to prepare my daughters for school: for the last five years I’ve only been able to do that thanks to buying children’s clothes, shoes and other everyday things in Ukraine,” complains young mother Ekaterina de Kobryn.

She clarified that she had already managed to browse Belarusian stores and peruse the variety, after which she concluded that spending on preparing for the new academic year could almost double compared to last summer. “Yes, there will still be sales at school bazaars, some goods can be purchased on installments or installments, but even so, these expenses will become very significant for the family budget”, says Ekaterina.

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