{"id":205940,"date":"2026-10-02T12:52:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/205940\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T12:52:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:52:49","slug":"statkievic-belarus-grappling-with-cold-civil-war","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/205940\/","title":{"rendered":"Statkievi\u010d: Belarus grappling with \u201ccold civil war\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Statkievi\u010d's Telegram channel)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

October 2, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Veteran opposition politician Mika\u0142aj Statkievi\u010d met official representatives of the European Union in Belarus to present his vision of the current developments in the country, his Telegram channel says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The politician expressed gratitude to \u201cEU leadership for their assistance to Ukraine and their solidarity with the oppressed countries of the region.\u201d Ongoing regional wars, including \u201cthe defensive war in Ukraine and the cold civil war here [in Belarus]\u2014are, above all, wars over values, in which the forces of freedom stand against the forces of tyranny,\u201d the politician said. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statkievi\u010d stressed that support from the free world, with the EU playing the most significant role, shows that \u201cwe are not alone in our struggle, that the forces of freedom in the world outweigh the forces of tyranny, and that, ultimately, freedom will prevail over slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The politician was among the 52 prisoners freed by Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka on September 11, 2025. All of those released were taken to Lithuania, except Statkievi\u010d, who refused to leave Belarus and remained at a Belarusian-Lithuanian border crossing for several hours, as confirmed by CCTV footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 2025, the interior ministry informed his family that he had been returned to prison to continue serving his original 14-year sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statkievi\u010d was released in February 2026 after suffering a stroke in prison and remains in Belarus. He turned 70 in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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