Svetlana Tikhanovskaia, leader of the Belarusian opposition, remains in exile in Lithuania since she had to leave her country after winning the presidential election against Aleksandr Lukashenko, who did not recognize his defeat. He attends La Vanguardia in Rome, where he met with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, after the Belarusian president mediated the rebellion of the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, against Vladimir Putin.
What impact will the arrival of the Wagner Group have in Belarus?
First the Russian military, then the shipment of nuclear weapons, now Wagner... It is a huge threat to the Belarusian people and to our neighbors, but also to our independence. We see how Lukashenko is selling our country piece by piece just to stay in power. We have no evidence that Prigozhin is in Belarus or that the Wagners are in the country, we only see that they are building a camp for them. What we saw in a press conference is that Lukashenko himself does not know Wagner's destination, he does not even know if Prigozhin is in Belarus or Saint Petersburg. He is not in control of the situation.
Was he really acting as a mediator or was he an instrument of Putin to resolve the crisis?
Lukashenko's role is greatly exaggerated. He was just Putin's messenger. Perhaps it was too humiliating for Putin to communicate with Prigozhin and he used him to send a message. Now Lukashenko has gained a few minutes of fame, but he does not understand the consequences of his participation in this so-called agreement. He is only following Putin's orders.
Are you concerned that he said the Wagner Group could collaborate with the Belarusian military?
We don't know what Wagner will do in Belarus. Lukashenko said he will legalize them and they will train the Belarusian military, but we know the fame of Prigozhin. They are rapists, murderers, what will they teach our soldiers?
Are you afraid he might use them as another tool of repression?
This is the feeling. Lukashenko realizes that the people do not support him. It's been three years since the elections, but people are quite active, underground, yes, but a movement has emerged since the war started and we have intelligence, volunteers, activists... Lukashenko knows that when he appears one chance these people will rise again. In this case, he used Wagner to suppress the Belarusian people and it will be a horrible situation, because we know what they are capable of.
Have they noticed an increase in repression since the war?
Many people have distinctly anti-war positions. 86% of Belarusians are against entering it. The people who are supporting the Ukrainians have also become enemies of the regime. For example, people who have given money to the Ukrainian army have been sentenced to years in prison. A young woman who sang a Ukrainian song has received two years.
How many political prisoners are there currently?
Human rights defenders know that there are about 1,500 political prisoners, but this number may grow to 5,000 because not all their relatives are ready to recognize them as such, because the attitude against political prisoners is much worse than against ordinary criminals. We have evidence of around 20,000 cases of torture.
What will be the consequences of the shipment of nuclear weapons announced by Putin?
It is a great threat because it makes our country a target for a possible counterattack. It also ensures the presence of Russia for many years, it will be difficult to get rid of these weapons. It is also a huge threat to our neighbors and Putin uses it to blackmail the West.
Have you heard from her husband?
Many political prisoners are incommunicado. I haven't heard from my husband for four months. The lawyer cannot visit him, the letters do not arrive. A few days ago I received a message that he had died. I hoped it was fake because it wasn't the first time, and I openly asked to be shown my husband. Two days ago I received a video of him in prison through a propaganda channel. It took me a while to recognize him because he looks awful, his face has changed, but at least I know he's alive, unless he was recorded a long time ago.
Is there still an active resistance in Belarus?
It depends on what active means. It is almost impossible to be visible because it would lead to arrest, but people are ready for when there is an opportunity. Recently there was news that Lukashenko disappeared for a couple of days and that he was sick, and with the situation with Wagner people started to move. They told us that they were ready to act and asked for instructions to go to the streets. This shows that there is a society on the boil but until we know that it is the right time we will not call people to take action, because we would have a new wave of repression. Also our military volunteers in Ukraine, the Kastus Kalinoŭski unit and others, have declared that they are ready to enter Belarus, but I am sticking to the idea of a peaceful way. I want to believe in diplomacy, in pressure and in the political isolation of the regime, but I know that there are many scenarios.
Will this regiment be able to enter Belarus?
They want to do it. I am cautious because it gives the impression to people that they just have to wait and someone will save us, but I have said that everyone must share the responsibility of participating in a new uprising, not sit and wait.
What do you expect from the NATO summit?
Now all the focus is on Ukraine and I see that the Belarusian issue has been somewhat forgotten. I am asking our allies to be our voice at the NATO summit and to give a European perspective to Belarus: we chose Europe in 2020 and we want to take this path, but for 28 years people have been persuaded to think that our only ally is Russia. We need to feel that we are welcome in Europe, that we will not be abandoned and that Belarus will in no way be handed over as a consolation prize to Putin in the case of negotiations with Ukraine.
