"I always wanted to write. Subconsciously. Not really expecting anything worthwhile to come of it. But things started to work out. At first, hackneyed articles. Then better ones. I developed my own style. I've always loved that "high" state, like sitting at a loom and shaping your thoughts into interesting verbal patterns.

Unbeknownst to me, I became a columnist for glossy magazines, a blogger for a marketing community portal. Those were the fat and carefree years from 2008 to 2018. Blinded by consumerism and vices, we didn't notice what was really going on in our country. It was very convenient to live in the center of Minsk, hang out on Oktyabrskaya Street, and ignore what was happening in the KGB dungeons just a few hundred meters away.

Thank heavens, we've seen the light! Now I'm safe. And when people ask me why I decided to write a diary or not, Am I a masochist for being willing to immerse myself in these experiences again? I have only one answer: we must bear witness to all the crimes committed after the 2020 elections. If this had been done in a timely manner before 2020, then it is quite possible that such a level of violence, broken lives, and bitter tears could have been avoided." (Alexander Demidovich)