Belarus opposition chief Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya informed MEPs on Thursday (13 October) {that a} free Belarus is without doubt one of the finest safety ensures for Ukraine and Europe.
“A free Belarus would be the strongest attainable sanction in opposition to [Russian president Vladimir] Putin’s terror,” she informed the European Parliament’s international affairs committee.
“The most effective help for a free Ukraine will likely be a 1,000km protecting border with a liberated Belarus, now not with a Russian colony,” the opposition chief mentioned,
“I’m positive that the trail to peace in Europe is thru freedom in Belarus. I’m positive that the trail to peace in Europe is thru victory in Ukraine,” she mentioned.
Belarus president Alexander Lukashenka brutally repressed a wave of protests after his re-election in 2020, a vote broadly seen as rigged.
The Kremlin helped Lukashenka survive the 2020 mass demonstrations, which had been the biggest within the nation’s historical past.
“I do know it’s troublesome and painful path, however it’s the proper path,” Tsikhanouskaya added on Wednesday.
Lukashenka on Monday mentioned that Belarus will deploy troops to a “joint army group” preventing in tandem with Russian forces, caving in to stress from Putin.
The 68-year-old dictator, who has dominated Belarus since 1994, additionally mentioned that his nation will host extra Russian troops.
Tsikhanouskaya mentioned that Lukashenka is making an attempt to legalise the everlasting deployment of Russian troops on Belarus territory.
Lukashenka earlier accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of coaching militants to assault Belarus.
Tsikhanouskaya, 40, mentioned Lukashenka “needs to show Belarus into large army base so as to terrorise Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and the whole EU and Nato”.
“We should name it what it’s, it is occupation,” she mentioned, including that the “very existence of Belarus is at stake”.
Putin wants Lukashenka to be seen as much less remoted, but additionally strategically, Belarus serves as an vital stage for Russian forces, whereas Lukashenka tries to take care of his delicate diplomatic dance between Russia and the West.
Lukashenka has been reluctant to ship his personal troops to Ukraine, however he additionally can’t survive with out Putin’s help.
Belarus’s armed forces whole 48,000 personnel, in keeping with the Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research, and haven’t any fight expertise.
Tsikhanouskaya informed MEPs that if Lukashenka determined to ship Belarusian troops to Ukraine, it is going to be “political suicide” for him.
Lukashenko introduced an amnesty for some political prisoners, however Tsikhanouskaya warned MEPs to not be fooled by this.
Tsikhanouskaya mentioned Lukashenka “shamed us all by permitting launch pad for Russian missiles, which killed 1000’s of harmless individuals.”
Tsikhanouskaya mentioned that underneath Lukashenka’s regime 1,350 political prisoners are held in subhuman circumstances, and over “50,000 individuals have been detained, and plenty of have died”.
“The unresolved political disaster in Belarus has escalated and contaminated the whole area,” she mentioned.
Tsikhanouskaya added that a whole lot of 1000’s fled Belarus to Ukraine following the 2020 crackdown on protests, and had been pressured to flee additional as Russia invaded the nation.
Originally published at Irvine News HQ
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