They are now citizens of Belarus. The family of the boy from Latvia, who interviewed Alexander Lukashenko at the "Slavic Bazaar", was subjected to pressure from the Latvian authorities. Today, the family has received their Belarusian passports.
Belarus has become a new home for Ilya Karoza's family from Latvia. The story of a teenager who asked several questions to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during the festival "Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk" became known to everyone. In Latvia, his home country, the schoolboy and his family were persecuted for an innocent blitz-interview with the Belarusian leader.
After that they moved to Belarus, where they found a job and the children (the family has three children) were placed in schools and kindergartens. The elder Ilya dreams of becoming a cadet in a cadet school and protecting his new country, Belarus. Today, he, his mother, sister and brother have received citizenship of the Republic of Belarus and received Belarusian passports.
Ilya Karoza, a citizen of Belarus:
Everyone has crucial turns in life. The main thing is to be in the right place at the right time with the right people. I am grateful to God that I met with a successful man and President Alexander Lukashenko. I would like to show the whole world that Belarus will always give a helping hand and will never kneel down before a threat. I'm glad and I'm proud that I became a citizen of Belarus, where my family ancestors come from.
Natalya Karoza, citizen of Belarus:
When we were leaving Latvia, we were afraid that they could close the country and wouldn't let us leave in time. And here we feel safe. We are about to move into the dormitory from "Vitebskenergo". My son is going to cadet school. My daughter is going to the third gymnasium, the youngest Danilka is going to the kindergarten, he has been going there for a week already.
Vyacheslav Durnov, Deputy Chairman of Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee:
Our state could not leave the situation like this. We did everything possible so that the family received citizenship in the shortest possible time, got a job and housing. And the family begins a normal working life.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 400 foreigners turned to the service of citizenship and migration of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Vitebsk Region Executive Committee with an appeal for acquisition of Belarusian citizenship. 330 of them have already become holders of Belarusian passports.












