Cichanoŭskaja calls for Russian troops withdrawal during Finland visit

December 13, BPN. Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja has called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus.

Delivering a lecture at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, she said: “By destroying civil society, [Alaksandr] Łukašenka has prepared the suitable conditions for Putin’s invasion to Ukraine. The whole country became a launching pad for the Russian army.”

She added that many human casualties could have been avoided “if, back in 2020, we had rallied and stopped the tyrants, and if the world’s reaction was braver and faster.”

Cichanoŭskaja recalled that the jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner, Belarusian human rights defender Aleś Bialacki, had warned: the humanitarian crisis in Belarus could develop into a full-fledged geopolitical threat. “He was very right,” she said.

“Belarus is part of the crisis but also part of the solution. And it must be solved in a complex. Belarus should not become a consolation prize for [Vladimir] Putin,” Cichanoŭskaja continued. “Ten thousand Russian soldiers deployed in Belarus must be withdrawn same as Russians must withdraw from Ukraine.”

She called for a distinction to be made between the Belarusian people and the regime. “Belarusians stand on the side of Ukraine. Therefore, it’s critical to assist Belarusian who resist the regime and support Ukraine,” she said.

Cichanoŭskaja began her visit to Finland on December 13. She is expected to meet Prime Minister Sanna Marin and other high-profile politicians.