"We do not go to the forest without a reason". Life in Novy Dvor a year after Maxim Markhalyuk’s disappearance

One year ago, on September 16, 2017, Maxim Marhalyuk disappeared in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The police, local residents and volunteers were looking for him. Unfortunately, the boy is not found. TUT.BY visited the village a year later.

Now in the village there are no any ads with the signs of the missing boy. Although last year they were all around. However, local people say that even without these papers they remember about Maxim. Adults do not allow their children to go to forest without a good reason. There are a lot of questions but no answers.

The boy was put on international wanted list. People said that Maxim was stolen or he drowned in the marshes or he frightened of wild animals, fled into the forest and was lost there. There were also versions that the child was sent abroad and supposedly just ran away from home. Local residents say that law-enforcers recently began to visit their homes again. During the winter period, the active phase of prospecting was stopped. However it began again with the onset of heat. Someone said that even the lake would be drained, but nothing has been done so far.

Women remember that the boy couldn’t swim, he didn’t know the forest. Although at first they were all sure that it was impossible for him to get lost in Pushcha. His mother is still waiting for him and believes that he will return. She refused to talk with journalists; it is a tragedy for the whole family. No one knows when this PAIN will fade away a little.

In the school where the boy studied, people do not want to raise again this question and they ask not to bother Maxim’s classmates. Psychologists even worked with some children.

On September 16, 2017 the boy disappeared in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. At 8 p.m. he went on the bicycle to the forest near the village Novy Dvor. Later, the police found his bicycle but the search did not gave any results.

Everyone who can know anything about the whereabouts please call: 8-033-688-62-50, 8-029-572-30-12, 8-015-133-32-82 or the nearest police station 102.