Belarusian Independent Bologna Committee is launching a series of articles with stories of fired university teachers. We cite articles in their entirety, without editing. All authors could hide the names of universities and departments for security reasons.

My dismissal for political reasons was probably the first – on September 21, 2020. But such a reason was not listed in the workbook or other documents.

On September 12, 2020, I was released from Ivanovo remand prison and after that I missed my working day - the 14th, when I was replaced by a colleague, but unofficially. BSU took advantage of this opportunity. As soon as I arrived, the dean of the Radiophysics Faculty asked me to write an explanatory note about my absence. The imprisonment itself was not taken into account, but that unofficial replacement was already a reason for dismissal.

Two weeks earlier they tried to call me to work during the holidays, because I had already participated in the strike commettee, but I decided not to go anywhere on my vacation. And after my refusal, I was taken to prison almost immediately under Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code "for disseminating information about an unauthorized mass event."

The dean offered me to resign of my own free will, but I never had that desire. I refused and I was fired for truancy. So it is written in the working book.

I must say that prison is a lot of stress, so is tension when you return to work, all the emotions around the dismissal. And it became much easier for me when it was finally over, although I lost my job.

Friends and caring people helped me with the money. I was also immediately offered a job at BSUIR and at a research institute at BSU. But, as you might guess, it turned out that in a place associated with the abbreviation BSU, my path is closed. And half a year later, when the new semester was to begin at BSUIR, I was taken away for short term arrest, and thus the opportunity to work in other state universities was closed for me. Although the hourly wage for my work there would be 2.5 rubles (less than 1$).

I was offered a job at IT. But unlike those who want to "enter the IT", I "left" it earlier, and realized that job in a corporation is not for me.

In some support groups I saw opportunities to enter foreign graduate schools, wrote to two possible vacancies, but it turned out that since I do not have publications on any of the specified topics, namely the topic within which they are looking for graduate students, they can’t take me. And neither my dismissal for political reasons nor my experience and my is required there. This disappointed me very much. And I gave up searching of such help and decided that I would act alone.

But I don’t consider myself unworthy of studying abroad, rather I never had the goal of advancing hard on the scientific career ladder for the sake of regalia. My goal was to study science, improve the world, and share my knowledge with students. To set an example of how cool, creative, inspiring a teacher and a subject can be.

For several months after my dismissal, I looked for a job in private schools, but didn’t find one. And it is interesting that when I decided to leave Minsk to live in the countryside, I was just offered a job in schools, both private and public. But I didn’t have the desire and ability to live in the city and so I switched to looking for a job online.

In early September 2021, I made an announcement that I could be a physics tutor for schoolchildren, and my students began to gather. Now this is my little job.

I also decided that I would continue to promote physics in Belarusian language. And about once a year I do pop-science open lectures. My area of ​​interest is 20th century theories. So I did on Einstein's theory of relativity and on quantum mechanics. This year I want to do on string theory.

I must say that I am also a creative person, and decided to do what I dreamed of as a child - to draw! I paint with oil. And also made a calendar on quantum mechanics for 2022. I was able to sell 30 copies.

Now I am at the beginning of my journey, I am ready to collaborate, I am ready to develop in the field of physics and I will be happy with a joint project with scientists and creative people. Now I would like to record a video course in physics in good quality, and for this I need either a studio or a computer capable of rendering high quality video.

This path is not easy, because it is still impossible to plan whether people will need what I do or whether I will be able to make money on it. But psychologically, it is a very happy path, because I finally have my honor and dignity and become