Belarusian politician tells LIGA.net about her interaction with the Russian opposition
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Photo: Thomas Traasdahl / EPA)
The Belarusian opposition differs from the Russian one in its clear support for Ukraine and lack of imperial ambitions. About in a new video by LIGA Editorial said the leader of the Democratic Forces of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Why it is important
The notion of “good Russians” has been established in Ukraine with regard to the Russian opposition because many of its representatives, on the one hand, oppose the regime in Moscow, and on the other hand, do not clearly support Ukraine, which is defending itself against aggression. At the same time, some Russians, like Belarusians, are fighting for Ukraine as volunteers. Why the only real opposition to the Russian regime is Ukraine, on LIGA.net explained Pavlo Kazarin, a journalist and serviceman.
Tsikhanouskaya’s words come against the backdrop of a new escalation in relations with Belarus due to information about the country’s possible involvement in a war against Ukraine. Read more about whether an offensive will take place from Belarusian territory, why Moscow is playing this card again, and what scenario is currently considered the most likely in analysis LIGA.net.
“Well, we don’t actually work very closely with each other. Maybe in the area of human rights violations, in relation to political prisoners. But we have a very different context. We understand that Belarusians do not have these imperialistic ambitions, that we are in principle completely on the side of Ukraine, and Crimea is, of course, Ukrainian,” Tsikhanouskaya said.
When the Belarusian democratic forces communicate with representatives of the Russian opposition, the most important factor for them is that these Russians “speak very confidently about the territorial integrity and independence of both our countries: Ukraine and Belarus,” and that they have no intention of encroaching on the sovereignty of both countries in the future, the politician explained.
According to her, if there are no such narratives, there is no point in Belarusian forces talking to such Russians.
Tsikhanouskaya noted that from time to time she encounters the fact that representatives of the Russian opposition “talk more about some processes in Russia than about the victory of Ukraine.”
“That is, they don’t even want to accept the fact that Ukraine can win,” the politician said.
Instead, she added, the attitude of the Belarusian opposition is “completely different.” Ukraine must win, Crimea must be returned to it, and a peace agreement must be concluded on Kyiv’s terms.
In the same video, Tsikhanouskaya said that more Belarusians would join the Ukrainian army if Kyiv simplify the process of their legalization. Also, commenting on the possibility of the Alexander Lukashenko in the war against Ukraine, the politician said that the dictator was voluntarily helping Moscow because of the desire to maintain their power.
The full conversation is available via link or lower:
- In late May, Tsikhanouskaya visited Kyiv for the first time. Her chief of staff confirmed LIGA.net that the visit is associated with a stronger involvement of Belarus in the in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
- SBGS spokesman Demchenko said LIGA.net that Belarus is not currently increasing the number of troops directly adjacent to the Ukrainian border, but that training can take place inside the country. At the same time, Moscow can use the country’s logistics and infrastructure “at any time”.