On May 9, when Belarus celebrates the world’s victory over Nazism, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed Belarusians in a video, condemning the regime’s involvement in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and calling for commemorating the heroes of World War II.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “In the history of mankind, May 9, 1945, is not only a day of remembrance. It is also a starting point that all countries that were involved in the war used to stop fighting and start building prosperous and developed countries. Only dictators used it to plunge their countries into crisis and start a new monstrous war. My great-grandfather Afanasii, who reached Berlin, would be horrified to see that Victory Day has turned from “Never Again” into a terrifying “We Will Do It Again.”
But we are Belarusians. And our people still have a choice. Which kind of evolution would we prefer? Is it repression, war, crisis, international war crimes, rewriting history, losing the best professionals – or is it freedom, integration into the European economy, better standard of living, decent salaries and pensions, free international travel, and investments from the entire civilized world?”
