Army, Transplantology, Space — What Fields Are Conquered by Belarusian Women?

Three stories about remarkable Belarusian women who manage to fly in space, perform transplants, and serve in the Armed Forces. The list of accomplished Belarusian women could go on endlessly—every day, they do something vital for our country.

Natalia Gavrusik is the press secretary for one of the most prominent figures in the military sphere—Defense Minister. Like most uniformed personnel, she rarely gives interviews outside of official topics, making her insights truly exclusive. She offers a behind-the-scenes look into the daily life and work of a lieutenant colonel in the Belarusian Armed Forces.

“I’m not the type of person who seeks quiet places to sit and rest— that’s not interesting to me,” admits Natalia Gavrusik. “Constant challenges come at you, and you respond—either successfully or not. Recently, at a meeting, the Minister of Defense recalled a quote: ‘Hard times forge strong people.’”

Her current status wasn’t handed to her easily. Natalia started her career as a journalist, then signed a contract with the military, progressing from a private to a lieutenant colonel. She’s also a mother, having recently returned from maternity leave.

Gavrusik shared that when there’s a malfunction in a combat aircraft, the instructions are voiced by a female voice—because it calms the crew.

Our second heroine, Elena Avdey, has her own inspiring story—one intertwined with the unique development of medicine in Belarus. She was part of the team that performed the country’s first liver transplant 18 years ago—an operation once deemed impossible.

“Initially, there were over 20 doctors involved. Four of us were in the operating room—our current director, Oleg Rummo, and three assistants. We also had an anesthesiology team. Everyone hoped for success. And then, the organ started blood flow, and the patient—who was expected to die within a year—began to recover. He talked, he lived. It was like a miracle,” Elena recalls.

Coming from a family of doctors, her father’s portrait hangs in the corridors of the National Scientific and Practical Center. His dream was to develop organ transplants in Belarus, and Elena became the one to make that dream a reality.

“At that time, we had nothing—no waiting list, no transplant coordination. Everything became possible in our country because that first transplant was successfully completed,” she says.

Everyone in the country knows this woman—Marina Vasilevskaya. She gained fame at 34 when, as part of the team alongside fellow Belarusian Oleg Novitsky and American astronaut Tracy Dyson, she flew into space.

“That spacesuit is connected with a vibrant part of my life—the cosmos. I didn’t train in that suit, but I did during the flight,” Marina shares.

Previously a flight attendant, today she is the Deputy Chair of the Belarusian Peace Foundation, a national hero and the first female cosmonaut of an independent Belarus. On the International Space Station, Marina conducted experiments developed by Belarusian scientists, including research in biotechnology and Earth observation. Her heroism lies in enduring extraordinary physical loads—cosmonauts face inhumane stresses.

“One of the toughest experiments was on the centrifuge. We all know that on the centrifuge, we simulate up to 8 Gs—the equivalent of eight times our body weight—pressing on the chest and back. And during this, you also have to perform specific tasks set by medics,” she explains.

In this report, we’ve highlighted only a few examples of the many women who make vital contributions to Belarus every day. The true number exceeds 5 million—each one shaping the future of the country in her own way.