June 16, Pozirk. At a conference yesterday in Warsaw, two prominent Belarusian opposition figures engaged in a heated debate over the movement’s strategic direction.
Andrej Jahoraŭ of the Coordination Council, speaking at the Reshape 2025 forum, criticized the pro-democracy forces for what he described as a loss of public support and increasing marginalization.
“We don’t seem to realize that, even in the current situation, we can still inflict damage on the regime—but it is difficult, complex and often mundane,” Jahoraŭ said. “The ‘strategy of a thousand cuts’ is still viable, yet we seem to prefer a ‘strategy of a thousand visits and two thousand conferences’,” he added, in an apparent jab at opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja’s emphasis on international diplomacy.
Responding to the criticism, Cichanoŭskaja’s aide Franak Viačorka pointed to a lack of concrete suggestions from opponents of the current approach, accusing them of focusing solely on negatives.
“We have two choices: either take action—even small steps like saving someone from an Interpol notice, lobbying for visa support or securing Swedish assistance for independent media—which helps those shaping the situation inside Belarus. . . or we give up,” Viačorka said.
He acknowledged the absence of a clear short-term strategy to bring about change in Belarus but vowed to continue the struggle. Otherwise, he warned, Western countries may start treating Belarus like Azerbaijan—cutting support for civil society and media, abandoning political prisoners and even considering the extradition of exiled regime critics.
The European Union maintains cooperation with Azerbaijan’s authoritarian government despite its poor human rights record. Azerbaijan has signed a partnership and cooperation agreement with the EU and takes part in the Eastern Partnership initiative.
