Blogger and dissident Siarhei Tsikhanouski , 48, was detained in Belarus in May 2020, after he had announced to challenge the country's ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, in the upcoming presidential elections.
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he → detain → elections
In December 2021, Tsikhanouski was convicted to 18 years in prison, in part for organizing "mass unrest."
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Tsikhanouski → convict → unrest
After his arrest his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, took his place and challenged Lukashenko as presidential candidate.
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wife → take → candidate
Despite allegations of large-scale vote-rigging, Lukashenko was declared the winner of the election in August 2020.
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Lukashenko → declare → August
This triggered unprecedented mass protests across the country.
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This → trigger → country
They were violently suppressed, and thousands of government critics were arrested or fled into exile.
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thousands → suppress → exile
Tsikhanouskaya also fled her homeland and became the leading representative of the Belarusian democratic movement.
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Tsikhanouskaya → flee → movement
In June 2025, Siarhei Tsikhanouski was released after nearly five years in prison and was forcibly taken out of the country.
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Tsikhanouski → release → country
Some 14 months after his release, the blogger has re-
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blogger → re → release
activated his YouTube channel, where he not only denounces Alexander Lukashenko's regime, but also Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's office, Belarusian media in exile, political analysts and others.
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he → activate → exile
Thousands of people follow his streams.
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Thousands → follow → streams
In one of them, Tsikhanouski claims that while Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya obviously enjoyed "a certain legitimacy from the European Union," the people who were living "quietly and silently" in Belarus today had not granted her any.
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who → claim → any
He said that many of those who had voted for her as joint candidate of Belarus' opposition were regretting this today.
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who → say → this
What does Tsikhanouski propose?
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Tsikhanouski → propose → What
Tsikhanouski has suggested that a supervisory board should be established under the label "United Office of Demoratic Forces."
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board → suggest → Forces
It would be made up of "former presidential candidates, protest leaders and iconic figures of the revolution," including himself and his wife.
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It → make → himself
"There would not be a full legitimacy but one which was at least granted by Belarusians," Tsikhanouski said, adding that such a supervisory board could oversee the distribution of grant funds.
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board → grant → funds
Speaking about his wife, he said: "Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was a so-called technical candidate, who received the votes of all those who were against Lukashenko.
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who → speak → Lukashenko
The percentage of votes she received in the 2020 election was negligible because no one knew who she was.
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she → receive → election
She was allowed to run because she did not pose a threat for the regime, and because she had neither supporters nor political experience.
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she → allow → supporters
"
What's happening in the Tsikhanouski family?
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What → happen → family
Asked by DW what his goals were, Siarhei Tsikhanouski refused to comment and referred to his livestreams instead.
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Tsikhanouski → ask → livestreams
The former political prisoner is residing in the US and is, by his own account, currently unemployed.
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prisoner → reside → account
At the beginning of summer he said he was living in Los Angeles, learning English, preparing for university studies and writing a book.
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he → say → book
It is also known that his children — a teenage son and a younger daughter — temporarily stayed with him in the US.
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children → know → US
Today, however, they attend school in Poland, where Tsikhanouskaya resides.
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Tsikhanouskaya → attend → Poland
Neither she nor her office have commented on the family situation or her husband's allegations.
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she → comment → situation
Even before the public dispute, the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces avoided commenting on her husband.
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leader → avoid → husband
Asked about his activities, she often suggested to approach him directly.
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she → ask → him
Speaking to DW in December 2025, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya merely said: "What happens in the public sphere and what happens at home, are different things.
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what → speak → home
I understand Siarhei's deep traumatization and also his very strong reactions to certain events.
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I → understand → events
Siarhei was in prison for five years, and I look at it with great understanding.
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I → look → understanding
This is why I'm not going public or making any comments.
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I → go → comments
We'll deal with it among ourselves."
Democratic forces in a leadership crisis?
During the 32-year-long rule of the Lukashenko regime, the Belarusian opposition has weathered many crises and conflicts.
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opposition → deal → crises
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's leadership role has been called into question more than once.
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role → call → question
However, she and her team have always managed to work themselves out of difficult situations during the last couple of years.
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she → manage → years
But will she still be able to do that now, with her own husband having turned into her critic?
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husband → do → critic
Siarhei Tsikhanouski had gone back to his own self, said political scientist Yury Drakakhrust: "With all his idiosyncrasies, his style of debate, which is not exactly in line with common practice.
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which → go → practice
This is likely to strike many as odd, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's international partners."
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This → strike → partners
Tsikhanouski, Drakakhrust pointed out, insisted that he was the key figure of the 2020 events, which is why he was entitled to all the benefits, privileges, recognition and invitations.
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he → point → benefits
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
