03 January 2025, 18:01

‘Feels like heaven!’ Families from Donbass holiday in Vitebsk District

VITEBSK DISTRICT, 3 January (BelTA) – Fifteen families from the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People's Republics are vacationing in a health resort in Lettsy in Vitebsk District. Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Dmitry Demidov and Paralympic athlete and public figure Aleksei Talai came to meet the guests, BelTA learned.

Forty people, including 23 children, arrived at the health resort on 26 December 2024. They are enjoying health boosting procedures, nutritious meals, pool swimming, entertainment and gifts for the New Year.Irina Lukashova from Mariupol came on vacation with her granddaughter Anna. She said that she lost her son and Anya lost her mom. “We are grateful to the whole team for bringing us here. May God give you happiness, prosperity, peace. May you never experience what we have experienced. Belarusians are our brothers. We should all be united, stand together to have peace in our countries,” the woman said holding back tears.

Anna said that she had already made friends at the sanatorium, she communicates with other guys, takes a lot of photos that will remind her of the enjoyable and peaceful time on the hospitable Belarusian land. "I really like it here. Pine trees, clean air, easy to breathe, it's good for the lungs. We didn't expect it to be so good here," the girl said.

The vacationers expected to see snow, but they liked even the abnormally warm weather. "It feels like heaven here! We received support at every stage, the organizers did a great job - they put us on the train, met us, took us to the sanatorium, helped us check in, gave us food and drinks. The food is excellent, the child has started eating. We visit the swimming pool, undertake health improvement procedures. We couldn't even dream of this. This is our first vacation since the start of the hostilities. We wanted to show our child how a normal life looks like. My daughter has already made a lot of friends, they have a lot of things to do here - they go drink water with medicinal properties, go to the swimming pool, work out in the gym. This is a great health improvement program for kids," said Mariupol resident Yekaterina Klinova, who came on vacation with her daughter Anastasia.

While in Belarus, the children and adults did not have to fight for life. They try not to remember the bad things and enjoy their vacation under the peaceful sky.

Aleksei Talai met with the families. He told them about his path, how he took step by step to get out of a difficult situation, having lost his arms and legs, and shared the things that kept him strong. His example impressed everyone at the meeting. They gave a standing ovation to a courageous man who is doing sports and charity.

The meeting was exciting and emotional. There were a lot of words of gratitude, strong hugs and tears of joy - no one hid how happy they were to touch a peaceful life.

It was not for the first time that recuperation holidays for the residents of Donbass were organized in Vitebsk Oblast, Dmitry Demidov said. “It has become a good tradition for us to organize such projects with the support of our enterprises, organizations and the Aleksei Talai Foundation. I think this work will continue. It is symbolic that we welcomed the delegation of vacationers on the eve of the New Year - a magical time when we all hope for a miracle, when every adult feels like a child. The opportunity to share our kindness, warmth, and hospitality leaves a great feeling. The enthusiasm with which our enterprises join such projects makes us proud of our fellow countrymen,” the head of the Vitebsk Oblast deputy corps emphasized.