Exiled Belarus opposition leader in Kyiv on solidarity trip

KYIV: Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya arrived in Kyiv on Monday on her first visit to war-torn Ukraine in a display of solidarity with the country, fighting Russia for more than four years.

Her visit comes after Ukraine announced it was stepping up security measures around its northern border with Belarus over the threat of fresh attacks from Minsk.

Belarus, which neighbours Russia and Ukraine, served as a launching pad for the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion launched in February 2022, and its authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko is one of the Kremlin’s closest military and political allies.

Tikhanovskaya was forced from Belarus following 2020 presidential elections which saw Lukashenko announce victory, despite credible claims from the opposition and European countries that Tikhanovskaya was the real winner.

Dzianis Kuchynski, an advisor to Tikhanovskaya wrote on social media that the visit was a “symbol of solidarity … in our common struggle for freedom and dignity,” alongside images of her arrival at Kyiv’s central train station.

Tikhanovskaya said she had begun her visit by visiting the grave of Maria Zaitseva, a Belarusian woman who joined anti-Lukashenko protests in Belarus and also helped to counter Russia’s invasion before being killed.

“Maria is a symbol of a new generation of Belarusians. People who understand that the freedom of Belarus and the freedom of Ukraine are inseparable,” Tikhanovskaya wrote.

Dozens of Belarusians have joined Ukrainian forces since Russia invaded.

One day before Tikhanovskaya arrived in Kyiv, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Lukashenko against further involvement in Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

Russia and Belarus earlier this month held three-days of nuclear drills days ago.

المصدر: Free Malaysia Today