The Neris—known in Belarus as the Viliya—is not only a unique transboundary river connecting currently hostile states: Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and, ultimately, the Baltic Sea. It is also a biological corridor of last resort and a living bridge. Wild salmon can still migrate into Belarus only through this river. Everywhere else, hydroelectric dams have cut off their ancient routes.
If the Neris/Viliya is destroyed, we do not just lose “one more river” – we erase the last functioning migration pathway and the entire supporting ecosystem that salmon depend on: spawning grounds, feeding areas, and the web of species that coexist with them.
Militarized geopolitics is reshaping the whole region, and one of its first victims is this river that should have been untouchable. The Neris/Viliya flows from conflict-affected countries into the Baltic Sea, which is already the most contaminated sea in Europe due to wartime munitions, industrial dumping, and climate stress.
Two governments – Lithuania and Belarus – are simultaneously advancing projects that threaten to damage or even destroy the river. On one side, the militarization agenda seeks to convert sections of the river into defence and evacuation infrastructure. On the other, industrial and nuclear risks from Belarus push the ecosystem into greater danger. Lukashenka’s regime is pushing plans to build a radioactive waste facility near the Viliya; given the extremely poor quality of construction and safety culture, the question of when nuclear waste begins to leak into the Viliya–Neris, and then into the Baltic Sea, is a question of time.
Both approaches ignore a basic fact: the river is one continuous living system. Any destruction upstream ultimately hits the entire Baltic Sea basin and every community along its course.
The Save Neris–Viliya campaign starts because many people refuse to accept the idea of the Neris/Viliya as a battlefield, a canal, or a nuclear dumping ground. We aim to defend the river as a living artery and to stop every government from exploiting or weaponizing it.
To launch this effort, we are releasing a large wall calendar featuring twelve original photographs documenting twelve real threats facing the river – each captured by the photographers of “Our House.” Every photograph is unique. Every month highlights an issue that must be stopped. All photographs in the calendar are original works created by “Our House” photographers.
The calendar costs 24.99 EUR, with an additional shipping cost of approximately 5 EUR. It is a high-quality wall calendar designed not only as documentation, but as a clear ecological and political statement. All proceeds will support our campaign to protect the Neris/Viliya from militarization, pollution, and destructive projects on both sides of the border – and to defend the last remaining river corridor that still allows salmon to reach Belarus.
The image you see here is an official photograph from the Belarusian State Border Committee. In the upper reaches of the Neris/Viliya, brave beavers stepped in where border guards failed to stop crime and smuggling in the region. Beavers began constructing a dam – a natural trap. At the same time, smugglers attempted to float a shipment of contraband tobacco into Lithuania. They loaded twelve crates of Belarusian-duty cigarettes onto a raft and equipped the cargo with a GPS tracker. A beaver felled a tree; the raft became entangled just fifteen metres before the border. As a result, the entire shipment – valued at 10–12 thousand euros – was intercepted by Belarusian border guards.
This almost absurd scene shows how even wildlife disrupts the criminal and militarized misuse of the river.
We also ask for your help in spreading the word. Share the story of the Neris/Viliya on social media, show the images, and help make this river visible again – as a living ecosystem, not a military route and not a dumping ground for nuclear waste.
About The Author
