Belarus’ opposition leader claims that Lukashenko’s support for Putin’s war has weakened him

Belarus’ exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Friday that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Vladimir Putin, is in a politically ‘extremely unstable’ position as a result of Russia’s military losses in Ukraine.

 

Tsikhanouskaya, who was mentioned as a probable winner this year, claimed Belarusians deserved global recognition for standing up to ‘a dictator’ days before a detained Belarusian rights campaigner co-won the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

‘A weakened Kremlin equals a weakened Lukashenko,’ Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters in a Paris interview.

 

‘Lukashenko’s position is precarious. People have the enthusiasm and desire to bring about democratic changes, but our economic position is worse due to sanctions’ she stated.

 

Since the beginning of the war on February 24, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has permitted Russia to utilise Belarusian territory as a launchpad for missile strikes into Ukraine and a point of entry for Russian soldiers and bombers.