Lukashenko loves to play the hardman but he’s just Putin’s bitch

For much of August three years ago, the people of Belarus took to the streets to protest the flagrant abuse of power by a dictator who refused to accept that his time was up. Alexander Lukashenko declared himself winner of a presidential election he had clearly lost. He sent his security thugs to arrest, beat up and later imprison anyone who dared dispute his diktat. He then turned to Vladimir Putin to bail him out of the political and economic disasters he had inflicted on a country yearning for democratic rule and respect for human rights. The alliance of convenience between a Kremlin war-monger and his grovelling pawn is not just a problem for the people of Belarus betrayed by Lukashenko’s lust for power. As we mark the third anniversary of a stolen election – and the first anniversary of the formation of a United Transitional Cabinet preparing for a democratic transition – Lukashenko has become a problem for the rest of Europe, and everyone with a stake in civilised values. Lukashenko has become a problem for the rest of Europe, says Tsikhanouskaya (Image: Getty) We are calling to mark the anniversary as the Day of Solidarity with all those who have been imprisoned because of their resistance to the regime and with their families, who are suffering every day. Many prisoners are held in complete isolation and without any contact with their loved ones. Among the many proud democrats swept up in Lukashenko’s purges was Leanid Sudalenka, a brave and brilliant Belarus lawyer who had spent the previous 20 years fighting for justice for political dissidents. After the 2020 election Sudalenka assisted countless protestors who had been thrown into jail on invented or nonsensical charges. Sure enough, the police soon came for Sudalenka, who was arrested and sentenced to three years in a penal colony for supposed offences that included providing firewood to the family of a man convicted for rioting; for appearing in a YouTube video explaining the definition of public protest; and for conducting a workshop on digital security for human rights activists. His name was added to Lukashenko’s blacklist of ‘persons involved in extremist activities’. Sudalenka was released from jail last month, having served his last nine days in solitary confinement in a punishment cell for ‘not changing into his sports uniform on time’. It would be nice to think that his regained freedom represents some kind of softening of Lukashenko’s brutal oppression. Yet all the evidence suggests a different explanation; the tyrant’s recent attempts to acquire a statesmanlike veneer. Shorn of respect and support at home, he has tied himself to Putin’s apron springs and presents himself as an important player in the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine . This reality could scarcely be more different. Lukashenko with Putin (Image: Getty) Three years after that stolen election, the world has begun to realise that Lukashenko plays no useful part in a potential solution to the conflict in Ukraine ; he is a blundering menace who has become a dangerous component of Russian aggression. What has he done for his people lately? Let me answer that with another question. What responsible leader of any country would casually invite a mercenary army armed to the teeth and renowned for its lawless ferocity to settle within its borders? The arrival in Belarus last month of several thousand fighters from the Kremlin-funded Wagner Group, led by the insurrectionist oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, provides no justifiable service to the Belarusian people; most of us are horrified at their presence. Yet there was Lukashenko on television the other day, proudly joking to Putin that his pet Wagner thugs were asking permission to invade Poland. ‘They are in a bad mood,’ he told Putin. ‘But of course, I am keeping them in central Belarus, like we agreed’. Lukashenko would like us to believe that Prigozhin and his murderous spawn are obedient slaves to his orders. He also sees no harm in accepting imports of Russian nuclear weapons, thereby turning Belarus into a target should Putin double down on unthinkable aggression. He has become a danger not just to his own people, but to his neighbours in Europe and beyond. He has sacrificed the independence of Belarus in order to save his own skin. In the meantime, whilst we can be happy that Sudalenka is free, further democratic campaigners such as Ales Bialiatski, the human rights campaigner who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, continues to serve a 10-year-sentence. Ales Pushkin, a dissident artist whose satirical portrayals of Lukashenko earned him a five year sentence last year, will never walk free from his jail. He died in a prison hospital last month under circumstances that have not been fully explained. Ales was not known to be ill and others have testified that beatings of political prisoners are common. Whatever the cause of his death, responsibility lies with Lukashenko and his cronies. There is nothing more pitiful than a dictator who fears the work of an artist; and little more disgraceful than treating your critics as criminals. My husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, also remains in jail three years after he announced he would run against Lukashenko in the 2020 election. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya holds up picture of husband Sergei (Image: Getty) His arrest two days later kept him out of the campaign; I ran in his place, and gave Lukashenko the fright of his life when he realised he was losing to a woman. However long it takes, we will fight to end this poisonous regime. We hope our many friends in the democratic world will recognise the threat that Lukashenko poses and help us to end his malevolent rule. Lukashenko must be brought to the tribunal alongside Putin: for all the crimes he committed against Belarusian people, international security, but also for his complicity in the war against Ukraine and deportation of Ukrainian kids from occupied territories. Strong sanctions on the regime must be imposed. I understand that sanctions are not the silver bullet, but will weaken the regime of Lukashenko and hence Putin. Sanctions will help to release people like Ales Bialiatski, and stop new deaths on innocent people behind bars like Ales Pushkin. I continue to be inspired by the solidarity Belarusians demonstrate despite fear and terror. Last week we conducted a YouTube-marathon together with independent media, which gathered almost 600 thousand euros in donations for political prisoners. After three years, the energy that we saw on streets of Belarus, is still there, and people continue to unite for their common goal. Belarusians remain resolute in our fight for liberation of our country and we will not yield to the Russian yoke. A June survey revealed that a mere four percent of Belarusians support the unification of Belarus with Russia into one state. Furthermore, less than five percent back the idea of the Belarusian army joining the war against Ukraine . Belarus is not Russia , and never will be. I want the international community to stand strong in support of our independence. Last week, in Warsaw, we gathered 300 representatives from across Belarusian NGOs, political parties and democratic initiatives. We stay united and resilient and agreed that Belarus should pursue EU membership. This would ensure Belarus independence free from Russian military presence and Wagner’s criminals. We aim to collapse the cruel regime of Lukashenka and conduct free and fair elections. This is the commitment I’ve made to the Belarusian people exactly three years ago. And I’ll keep fighting until we achieve our goal, no matter how long it takes.