Cichanoŭskaja breaks silence to acknowledge rift with husband
November 5, Pozirk. Belarusian pro-democracy leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja has broken weeks of silence over her husband’s bitter verbal attacks, describing his rhetoric as unacceptable and demeaning.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Cichanoŭskaja acknowledged her husband’s leading role in the 2020 protests and his “contribution to the history of democratic Belarus” but stressed that she “cannot possibly approve of Siarhiej’s demeaning style of communication.” She advised him to put his “political capital” to “constructive” use.
Exiled former presidential hopeful Siarhiej Cichanoŭski joined his wife in Lithuania after his early release from prison in Belarus in 2025 but later moved to the United States. He has recently made headlines with vitriolic attacks on his wife, portraying her as a worthless opportunist with no legitimacy as a political leader. He has also lashed out at Cichanoŭskaja’s associates and independent journalists, resorting to personal insults and deliberately distorting their surnames to ridicule them.
Cichanoŭskaja warned that Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime benefits from divisions within the opposition.
She said she was puzzled by Cichanoŭski’s allegation that she had taken over his signature-collection group after his arrest in 2020 and exploited the issue of politically motivated imprisonment in Belarus to “obtain grants.”
“I have to make a conscious effort to separate family matters and my relationship with my husband from my and his political roles,” she said. “And I was naturally very surprised by a new allegation from Siarhiej, whom I had defended all these years, that I had simply dragged a folder [featuring his photo] around.”
“He is still my husband, no matter what kind of relationship we have,” she said. “He is the father of my children, and it’s very difficult for me to distinguish between these two things.”
Cichanoŭskaja meets with Romania’s president, foreign minister, Senate speaker
November 5, Pozirk. Belarus’ opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja met with Romania’s president, foreign minister and Senate speaker in Bucharest on November 4 to discuss support for Belarusian political prisoners, EU sanctions policy and regional security. At her meeting with President …
