Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: Dear Belarusians,
As children, we often played a game on New Year’s Eve. We decided what we would take with us into the new year and what we would leave behind in the old one. We wrote it down on small pieces of paper — sometimes funny, sometimes serious.
We tore up the bad things or sealed them in an envelope. And it seemed to us that in the new year, everything would become better and easier, and all problems would remain in the past. Today, we know that every year is different. There is always something good in it — but alongside it come new challenges.
If I could leave something in the past year, it would be empty quarrels, divisions, and grievances that pull us apart.
The lies from TV screens, immoral war propaganda, hollow jingoistic patriotism, and the endless search for enemies. Arrests, dismissals, absurd bans, and so-called “law-making” that has nothing to do with the law. All the injustice that every Belarusian feels.
The regime does all this to cling to power. Today’s authorities are incapable of giving people anything — they only take.
And of course, like many Belarusians, I would gladly leave in the past the bluish fingers of one old man — but it seems they are still clinging on and coming with us into the new year.
And into 2026, I will take those important things that we must continue. The work of our human rights defenders, who support those in trouble. Journalists who bring the truth. Cultural figures who preserve our language, memory, and national identity. Teachers who teach children to think. Doctors who save lives. Entrepreneurs who find solutions and create opportunities. Workers who build our prosperity. People of the land who feed the country. You are all needed by Belarus.
As children, we waited for miracles on New Year’s Eve. Today, I don’t wait for them. I know that miracles don’t fall from the sky. People create them — people like you and me. And problems don’t disappear on their own either. They must be solved. In our personal lives. And at the level of the whole country.
We also used to choose a word that would define the coming year. My word of the year is hope.
Some still console themselves by saying, “At least we don’t have a war.” But drones continue to fly in our skies. Military factories are being built, producing shells for an aggressor state. Nuclear weapons are being deployed — turning Belarus into a military target. The authorities are pushing the country ever deeper into isolation and provoking neighbors to close their borders.
Behind the regime’s aggressive actions, the world fails to see the most valuable thing Belarus has — its people. Peace-loving, talented, courageous people. People who stand against war, who reject violence, and who simply want to live normal lives.
So my word of the year is hope — hope that the war will end, this unjust and destructive war. That shelling will stop. That families will be reunited. That peace will return to Ukraine, and Belarus will finally cease to be a hostage of tyrants. And we must be prepared for this. We do not need bosses or “older brothers” who claim to know better. Belarusians are capable of figuring things out themselves and building a country fit for life.
When we sat down at the table, everyone named a few things they were grateful for in the past year, even if it was a hard one. I am grateful to all Belarusians who did not betray their principles, values, or convictions. I know that among you are people who can proudly say: I did not betray myself because I stayed in Belarus despite everything. I did not betray myself because I refused to stay silent, even though it meant exile for me. We did not betray ourselves because we continue our cause. And we do what we can.
And then we wished things to one another. Here is my wish for you, my dear Belarusians. While dictators build walls, let us build bridges. Let us not divide into “us” and “them” or into those who left and those who stayed. Let us not look for someone to blame among ourselves. Instead, let us look for what unites and strengthens our people. Unity gave us strength in 2020. It is crucial that we stand together now, while the regime seeks to divide us.
We set the table, served the Olivier salad, while children snatched mandarins. We waited for guests. And today, at last, we can welcome at our festive table those who were not with us for five years. This is the miracle that we achieved together — with you and with our allies.
Maryia Kalesnikava: Not all of our plans come true. Recently, I received 80 rubles of my prison wages, went to the prison shop, and bought condensed milk to make a festive New Year’s cake. The girls and I planned to set the table, drink tea, and talk. I would think about my family and know that they were remembering me at that moment. Just like every previous New Year in prison.
Now, as you are watching this video, I am hugging my sister and my dad. The condensed milk remained in prison, and I know that when things do not happen the way we planned, something even better can happen. Everything has changed, and now we know we should be prepared for anything that might happen in this world. But remember that “anything” can also be something good.
I was not here for five years. I am discovering a new world with curiosity. After release, I learned that a lot of bad things happened, a lot of strange and frightening things. I did not see a single person for whom life was easy. I did not hear anyone say that these five years passed smoothly. But I did not see broken people — people who had forgotten solidarity or love. I saw how much Belarusians have achieved in their ideas, in culture, in thought, in the global world, in the country, and beyond its borders.
Sadly, many of us have forgotten how important it is to smile at one another right now, the eyes of loved ones, warmth, kindness, a good word. But we will remember, because we did not become disillusioned — we simply grew up.
I lost a great deal over these five years. A great deal — but not hope. I continue to hope in the core values of this world: kindness and compassion. They are even more needed now. And we have them. And we have each other.
Pavel Seviarynets: You helped political prisoners and their families. You sent flowers to wives and mothers who needed support in difficult moments. You contributed money whenever you could. You helped raise children who were innocent of anything, deprived of their parents’ presence. People endured, they did not break, and that was possible thanks to you — your faith and your solidarity. When you know that you are remembered, that people pray for you, it gives you the strength to hold on.
For the first time in five years, I got to hug my wife Volia and my son Frantsishak, who was two years old when I was arrested.
We must fight for every man and every woman who remains in prison. So that repression ends. So that Mikalai Statkevich can also hug his wife, and every released person can choose where to live. So that the very concept of a “political prisoner” disappears into oblivion.
I was deeply moved by the way Belarusians support the Ukrainian people. Some through service, some through volunteering. Some on the front line, others financially. The destinies of Belarus and Ukraine are inseparably intertwined. When Ukraine is strong and free, it will open the path to an independent, European Belarus as well.
Pavel Latushka: And here I want to address public servants in Belarus. Every year, Lukashenka and his propaganda repeat that we are about to give up. But we continue to work for the future of every Belarusian, for a better future for the country. You see that the system has reached a dead end. Every day, you face decisions made not in the interests of the people, but for the sake of one person alone. Yet you and we want the same thing: respect, freedom, and security. We all dream of a better life.
On the eve of the New Year, think about what kind of legacy you want to leave behind. The legacy of someone who simply clung to a chair or of someone who helped return a future to their country. It is up to us to decide what kind of country we will live in. Belarus needs you.
We, the democratic forces, propose to begin a dialogue to overcome the crisis and to achieve independence and freedom. A dialogue for development instead of stagnation. A dialogue for a better future that Belarusians deserve. That our Homeland deserves.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: Yes, we Belarusians are all different. We have different lives, different views, and different paths. And it is precisely in this diversity that our strength lies.
But there is something that unites us all: a free, peaceful, and prosperous Belarus — the Belarus we dream of and fight for.
And today, we want to say thank you to all of you. For standing firm. For not giving up. For continuing to believe and move toward our goal.
As the clock struck, we made wishes and lit sparklers. Only moments remain until the new year, 2026. Dedicate them to yourself. Ask yourself: “What do I want?”
Close your eyes. Make a wish. Hug your loved ones, those who are near. And honor those who are not with us today.
Remember that the miracles we are waiting for do not happen by chance. We create them ourselves. Together.
Happy New Year, dear Belarusians.
Long Live Belarus!
