During her working visit to Berlin, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was honored with the Schwarzkopf Europe Award, which recognizes people in public life who are particularly committed to a peaceful, unified, and sustainable Europe.
Nominations are made exclusively by young Europeans who focus on young topics in the selection process, such as freedom of speech, peaceful coexistence, and the fight against repressive and undemocratic regimes. The 2022 award went to Ukrainian musician Serhij Zhadan.
After the award ceremony, the Belarusian leader answered questions from young people:
📌 What is the role of the international community in the Belarusian democratic movement? What kind of support does it need?
“We would not be able to continue the fight for freedom without international support. We need political, financial, and moral support from the EU and international allies. For example, sanctions are one of the most effective tools to isolate the Lukashenka regime. We need to strengthen them and close the loopholes. If the world leaves the current situation unchanged, we will lose Belarus to Putin with his imperial ambitions and intent to destabilize Europe”.
📌 What motivates you to continue resisting and fighting for democratic change?
“What motivates us to keep going is the belief that a change in Belarus is possible – and only Belarusians can achieve it. Our love for our country and its people is a powerful force. We don’t want Belarus to become a prize for Putin. The world is watching us, and that gives us hope that we are not alone. We are not the opposition. We are the ones representing the Belarusian people while the regime has no legitimacy”.
📌 What can shape the future of Europe?
“Unity is the key to success. We must firmly stand against dictators like Putin and Lukashenka. We need to break our dependency on Russian fossil fuels and focus on renewable energy. Belarus and Ukraine are fighting for the same values that are important to Germans and all Europeans – freedom, peace, and justice”.
