Putin’s ally stole my democratic victory in Belarus. Now the West must help us fight back | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Pbogs cover almost 15% of my home country Belarus. But, lately, citizens have been wary of these dense, acidic wetlands. Their decaying plant matter is a valuable source of fuel, and after decades of progressive drying and dieback, the remaining dry marshes pose a significant fire hazard. Smoldering underground fires can burn unseen for months before bursting into the open and wreaking havoc.

Much like those underground peat fires growing out of sight, democracy in Belarus is currently burning and the corrupt and despotic regime of President Alexander Lukashenko is a rotting swamp, dry and ripe for destruction.

A little over two years ago, I ran for election against Europe’s oldest and most repressive ruler. I was forced to run in place of my husband, Siarhei, after Lukashenko’s secret police – terrified of facing the will of the Belarusian people – locked him upas well as all other potential adversaries.

When I put my name forward, I had little hope of winning. After all, Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, his regime morphing from the soft authoritarian rule of a collective farm boss to a vicious autocracy that currently has 1,300 political prisoners in his prisons.

As my team and I watched the election results unfold from our headquarters in Minsk, we were amazed to see tens of thousands of photos of ballot papers with a mark next to my name flooding the internet. In the evening, people remained at the polling stations to demand a fair count. After their refusal, thousands went to demonstration in the city centersparking a revolution in the country that continues to this day.

Belarus has become a political wasteland. Civil society has been forced into hiding. Journalists publish their material anonymously. Yet Lukashenko is deeply unpopular and much weaker than many realize. It is only supported by 25% of the population: mostly pensioners, bureaucrats and security service personnel, who depend on the state for jobs in a collapsing economy.

Lukashenko would not have survived the uprising that followed the stolen election 2020 if it wasn’t for Vladimir Putin. The Russian president sent propagandists, financial support and, finally, tanks in order to support his former Soviet ally – then forced him to pay his debts by get support for the catastrophic invasion of Ukraine 18 months later.

Lukashenko’s unpopular support for Putin’s illegal war, which so horrified the developed world, should hasten the beginning of its end. Millions of Belarusians are furious that Russian troops were allowed through our lands before launching their failed attack on Kyiv.

Sanctions have already been imposed against Lukashenko and his cronies. But they could go so much further. We need more monetary and secondary sanctions targeting the state economy that powers Lukashenko’s KGB intelligence agency and Putin’s war machine. Belarusian state-owned banks should be eliminated from the global financial system and state-owned enterprises should be expelled from the Swift banking regime.

Of course, Lukashenko doesn’t care that Belarus is a vassal state. At every stage of his reign, he supported Russia at the expense of his own people. Lukashenko wanted us to speak Russian, rather than our own language. It was rumored that his personal goal at one time was to become president of Russia. Despite the media blackouts, a critical mass of the Belarusian people now understand that they are governed by a Kremlin agent who squats at the top of a country he does not want to exist. Public revulsion is mounting. Belarus’ democratic fires will eventually roar, the only question is when.

At the UN General Assembly, which opened last week, the international community must come together and send a strong message that the world is united behind the democratic majority in Belarus.

The nature of Lukashenko’s autocracy means that sanctions can be applied relatively easily without too much damage to innocent Belarusians. UN member states can target public entities that depend on Lukashenko’s patronage, letting the private sector thrive. Belarusian media and civil society need financial support. This would encourage more and more people to choose the path of democracy, justice and the rule of law.

At the UN General Assembly, Belarus must be at the table, not on the table, and our territorial independence and political sovereignty must be guaranteed. Lukashenko has placed Belarus at the center of the crisis in the East Europe. Yet this remains part of the solution – our geographical location matters enormously to the Kremlin. Take away the Lukashenko puppet and you take away Putin’s Belarusian “balcony”, which dominates Eastern Europe and offers strategic access to Poland and the Baltic States. No doubt the future of my country is already mentioned behind the diplomatic scenes. But the world must not give in to Russian pressure. They must not give up a square meter of Belarus to try to end Putin’s desperate war.

Finally, the UN must make it very clear that Lukashenko’s request for Russia nuclear weapons to be deployed on Belarusian territory would elicit a severe response. Like Ukraine, Belarus gave up its nuclear arsenal in 1994 in exchange for security guarantees from the west – and from Russia. Putin has now flouted Moscow’s obligations under international law. The prospect of Russian nuclear weapons being transported to Belarus, which borders several NATO countries, would be a nightmare for the West.

Belarusians are a very patient people. We have suffered too long without complaining. One of our national characteristics is ciarpila, which means “supported”. After 28 years, we have endured enough at the hands of Lukashenko. It is time for the international community to help us ignite a fire that finally engulfs this tottering tyrant.

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