Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “If the day comes when Belarusian troops cross the Ukrainian border, there will be no turning back. The attack might trigger missile launches targeting Belarusian cities. Belarus may find itself behind the Iron Curtain, the shelves may get empty, and the border may be closed completely. The crisis will get even worse because war costs a country both the lives of its people and terrible damage to the economy.
Therefore, we demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Belarus. We demand a moratorium on any joint exercises of Russia and Belarus until the end of the war. And we support the proposal to establish an international monitoring mission at the Ukraine–Belarus border.
I appeal to the officers and servicemen of Belarus. You are only following your oath to the people and are respected as a military as long as you act in the interests of the people. Crossing the state border will make you a war criminal. Sabotage criminal orders, lay down your arms. Reach out to the Hochu Zhit project, a single point of contact for those unwilling to die and kill for the ambitions of two dictators.
The regime has established today as the so-called Father's Day. But if Belarus enters the war, thousands of Belarusian children will meet next year without their dads”.
Watch Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's address with subtitles in English.
Previously, United Transitional Cabinet Representative for the Restoration of Law and Order Aliaksandr Azarau recorded a guide for Belarusians on how to avoid being drafted in case of mobilization.
