Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: fog of war will not justify the regime’s crimes
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “The war started 20 days ago. Today, after Lukashenka made Belarus an accomplice to military aggression, a new “Constitution” was adopted in our country. But holding a referendum and amending the Constitution amidst a war is no different from holding a secret inauguration without telling the people. Some believe fog of war will […]
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya started a working visit to Switzerland to support the UN resolution against Lukashenka’s regime
A year ago, in March 2021, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Switzerland and held meetings with UN delegations and special rapporteurs, speaking about the importance of investigating and documenting the regime’s crimes against Belarusians. Following that visit, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Belarus, launching the UN mechanism to investigate and document crimes against […]
Results of the Belarusian Anti-War Movement for March 14
Any Belarusian can join the Movement and choose from numerous options to resist the war and Belarus’ regime. Read the Manifest. Here is an overview of the Movement on March 12. Support for Ukrainians and Belarusians Belarusians of South Korea, as well as Gdańsk and other Polish cities, joined rallies in support of Ukraine and […]
Results of the Belarusian Anti-War Movement for the week of March 7-13
Any Belarusian can join the Movement and choose from numerous options to resist the war and Belarus’ regime. Read the Manifest. Here is an overview of the Movement for the week of March 7-13. Support for Ukrainians and Belarusians BYSOL Foundation sent to Ukraine three pickups for Belarusian volunteers, an ambulance car, minibus, and evacuation […]
Results of the Belarusian Anti-War Movement for March 12
Any Belarusian can join the Movement and choose from numerous options to resist the war and Belarus’ regime. Read the Manifest. Here is an overview of the Movement on March 12. Support for Ukrainians and Belarusians The Belarusian diaspora in the UK collected and delivered aid for Belarusian volunteers in Ukraine. The Free Belarus Center […]
Sviatlana Tsikhanouksaya’s Office and representatives of the Polish Foreign Ministry discussed the situation with Belarusian refugees
Here is what they mainly discussed. The Polish side stressed that Belarusians would not be deported from Poland. At the same time, Belarusians need to resolve issues with documents and legalization of stay in the country. For information on legalization issues, Belarusians can contact the Center for Belarusian Solidarity and the Belarusian House in Warsaw. […]
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK
During her working visit to London, Sviatlana Tsikhanouksaya met with the Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Vadym Prystaiko and expressed support for the Ukrainian people. Prystaiko is the brave ambassador who spoke out about Ukraine's membership in NATO and in all possible ways sought support for his country. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that she had […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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. […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]