Germany allowed visa-free entry to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, including Belarusians
The ordinance will remain in effect at least until 23 May 2022. It applies to those citizens of other countries who were in Ukraine on February 24 and have a residence permit in Ukraine or have been granted international protection. During her visit to Berlin, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya raised the issue of granting war refugee status […]
March 11, 2022
Results of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s working visit to the UK
Within the two-day visit to London, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held negotiations with the leadership of the Foreign Office, leaders of parliamentary parties, security and defense experts. She also gave interviews to leading British and European media: Channel 4, Sky News, BBC HardTalk, Reuters, The Economist. In addition, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya spoke to ambassadors and diplomats of 35 […]
March 11, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s speech at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, March 10, 2022
“Dear Deputy Minister Benner, dear organizers, dear friends of Belarus, Thank you for inviting me to speak at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence. This conference could not have been more timely. Now, the world is waking up to a new reality, which may be the greatest test of our lifetime. Today, global security […]
March 10, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s statement about Belarusians in Ukraine who came under bombardment from Belarus’ territory
“Last night, in the bombing of the Ukrainian Korosten by Russian troops, a civilian was killed, and two more had fatal burns. Two of the victims were Belarusians. Think about it: at night, missiles flew at Belarusians from the territory of Belarus. And now, our compatriots are at the hospital fighting for the life that […]
March 10, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a call with the Estonian Ambassador to discuss the issue of Estonian visas and e-Residency for Belarusians
The Ambassador assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that: – At the moment, Estonia provides Belarusians with all types of visas, except for tourist visas. Estonia does not abandon its support for democratic Belarus. – Estonia suspended the issuance of new e-Residency cards from March 7 for Belarusians and Russians to prevent circumvention of sanctions. – The government […]
March 10, 2022
Results of the first day of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s working visit to London
On March 9, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in London, where she met with British Minister of State for Europe and North America James Cleverly (more), leader of the Labor Party Keir Starmer (more), Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy (more), Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British House of Commons Tom Tugendhat (more). At the […]
March 09, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with Belarusians of London
On March 9-10, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a working visit to London. She discussed with British politicians and media why it is necessary to distinguish between Belarusians and the Lukashenka regime, which dragged Belarus into the war. She added that no one should target Belarusians as they support Ukraine. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered these points at her […]
March 09, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with Lithuanian Minister of Justice Evelina Dobrovolska
On Tuesday, March 8, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had a meeting with the Minister of Justice of Lithuania, Evelina Dobrovolska. They discussed the cases of Belarusians within the universal jurisdiction handled by the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office. “We discussed how to hold Lukashenka’s regime accountable for its crimes and restore justice,” said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. “Universal jurisdiction allows […]
March 08, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a call with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and urged to simplify visa procedures for Belarusians
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the Czech Republic for the country's support of Belarus since 2020. She also highlighted that the Czech Republic took in the wounded Belarusians and the repressed Belarusian students. At the same time, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that she receives many requests regarding the Czech Republic's refusals of visas to Belarusians, including journalists and […]
March 08, 2022
Results of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s working visit to Berlin
On March 8, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had a working visit to Berlin where she met with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and representatives of the Federal Foreign Office. She also spoke at the Foreign Office’s conference on the situation in Belarus, gave a briefing to the ambassadors of the United States, Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Australia, Estonia, […]
March 08, 2022
Germany will provide a mobile hospital to Belarusian doctors in Ukraine at the request of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
On March 7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the situation in Belarus and the Anti-War Movement that started in the country after the military invasion of Ukraine. The majority of Belarusians oppose the war, and the situation among the military is no different, Tsikhanouskaya explained. […]
March 07, 2022
Sanctions for, and Counter-sanctions by, Belarus: what is the game-changer? Analytics
The OST Research Centre, together with the Oxford Belarus Observatory and the GCRF COMPASS Project, based on a discussion on 3 February 2022 issued a policy brief “Sanctions for, and Counter-sanctions by, Belarus: what is the game-changer?”. The full text is available below. Download the analytics document here.
March 07, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed with German Foreign Minister aid for Belarus and Ukraine, sanctions against Lukashenka and Putin
On March 7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Berlin, where she held a bilateral meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. The Belarusian leader also spoke at a conference at the German Federal Foreign Office, met with diplomats, and gave comments to the press. With Annalena Baerbock, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed: – support for Ukraine and humanitarian aid […]
March 07, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya supported the call of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to close airspace over Ukraine
“We support the call of President Zelenskyy to close the airspace over Ukraine. This is a security issue for Ukraine, Belarus, and all of Europe. It will also help stop Russian missiles and military planes that are launched from the territory of Belarus every day”, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in her address to the people of […]
March 05, 2022
“More than 1500 students and academics have become victims of repression”. Appeal to the international academic community
In this video Philosopher, Representative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Education and Science Tatiana Shchyttsova appealed to the academic community. Text of appeal: “Dear colleagues, my appeal is addressed to the international academic community Today, the entire civilized world has become “the global East” as it sees the defence of Ukraine's independence as its main priority. The […]
March 05, 2022
Anti-War Movement Manifest
The territory of our country, against the will of the Belarusian people, is being used for military aggression against the Ukrainian people: Putin and Lukashenka unleashed a war against Ukraine and are using Belarusians in a deadly conflict. We, the citizens of the Republic of Belarus, stand against the participation of Belarus in the Kremlin’s military […]
March 01, 2022
Digest of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office on Education and Science, February 2022 / Issue 3
Download the digest on education and science here. Repressions – On February 27-28, at least 13 students from Minsk and Hrodna universities were detained during the anti-war protests. More information could be found in the report of Studenckaja Dumka student media, the post of Minsk State Linguistic University’s telegram channel and the post of Free […]
February 28, 2022
Digest of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office on Education and Science, February 2022
Download the digest on education and science here. Repressions – On February 27-28, at least 13 students from Minsk and Hrodna universities were detained during the anti-war protests. More information could be found in the report of Studenckaja Dumka student media, the post of Minsk State Linguistic University’s telegram channel and the post of Free […]
February 28, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a call with the President of the European Parliament
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a call with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola and garnered resounding support for the people of Belarus. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the threat to Belarus’ sovereignty and called in this regard for decisive and tough actions against the regime – non-recognition of Lukashenka and maximum sanctions against the regime […]
February 25, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held an emergency meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
Today, February 25, in Paris, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who currently chairs the EU Council of Ministers. The meeting took place a few hours before the discussion in Brussels on the Lukashenka regime, its actions and participation in the war in Ukraine. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya said that Belarusian […]
February 25, 2022
Joint statement by the Operational Headquarters of the democratic forces
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced that she takes on the responsibility to stand up for the independence and national interests of the Republic of Belarus and forms the Transitional Cabinet as the national authority. The Operational Headquarters of the democratic forces supports her decision as the national leader, and representative of the Belarusian people, elected by a […]
February 24, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya declared herself as the national leader of Belarus
“This morning, Russia attacked Ukraine, violating the fundamental principles of international law. The Belarusian territory and Armed Forces were involved in this treacherous act of aggression. The full responsibility for the war belongs to Lukashenka and his regime, along with the Russian president. The illegitimate leader of Belarus introduced alien troops and made our country […]
February 24, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya declared herself as the national leader of Belarus
“This morning, Russia attacked Ukraine, violating the fundamental principles of international law. The Belarusian territory and Armed Forces were involved in this treacherous act of aggression. The full responsibility for the war belongs to Lukashenka and his regime, along with the Russian president. The illegitimate leader of Belarus introduced alien troops and made our country […]
February 24, 2022
The Venice Commission’s Opinion on the regime-pushed constitutional reform: instead of solving the crisis, reform only aggravates it
The Venice Commission assesses national laws and bills so that they defend the people and ensure the observance of people's rights. The Commission is a tool for constitutional-making in countries transitioning to democracy. Today, the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Interim Opinion on the regime-pushed constitutional reform in Belarus. The Commission's report notes the following: […]
February 23, 2022
The Operational Headquarters of Belarusian democratic forces started work in Vilnius
Representatives of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, the Coordination Council, National Anti-Crisis Management, Honest People community, Voice platform, and ZUBR initiative joined their efforts to promptly respond to the “referendum”-related developments in Belarus, as well as to make decisions given the tense situation in the region. The democratic forces’ Operational Headquarters has already released the action plan […]
February 22, 2022
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s speech at the Belarus Business Harbour in Baltics Forum, February 22
“Dear forum guests, dear friends, I am grateful to be here with you today. First of all, I would like to praise the organizers of this timely and important event – Association of Belarusian Business Abroad. You are doing an incredible job – you unite businesses, but you also unite people. It’s your second such […]
February 22, 2022
Tsikhanouskaya, Latushka: Whatever step against Belarusian sovereignty will entail the most serious consequences
On February 21, it was announced that Russian troops will not leave the territory of Belarus until “an objective need arises”. So who decides on this need now? There is absolutely no “objective need” for foreign troops on the Belarusian territory, and that is the opinion of Belarusians. Lukashenka is the major reason why Belarus’ […]
February 21, 2022
Position of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office on the consequences of any actions against the sovereignty of Belarus
Despite all the regime's assurances, after February 20, Russian troops will not be withdrawn from Belarus. This means that Belarusians have been deceived all this time, and Lukashenka has lost his independence in decision-making. After all, because of him, Belarus is losing its identity, and Belarusians are losing control over their own country. The presence […]
February 20, 2022
Results of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s second day at the Munich Security Conference
On the morning of February 19, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the discussion on strengthening democracies. Among other speakers were Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani. In her address, leader of democratic Belarus outlined the necessary pillars in the struggle against dictatorships: 1) putting […]
February 20, 2022