Vasil Bykaŭ's status in his home country remains enormous. An opponent of Alexander Lukashenko's regime and a supporter of the Belarusian Popular Front, he lived abroad for several years (first in Finland, then in Germany and the Czech Republic), but returned to his homeland a month before his death in 2003. The memory of his turbulent life and uncompromising stance on the war have only enhanced his reputation at home and abroad ever since.