Tikhanovskaya met with Belarusian prisoners of war who fought on the side of Russia

During their visit to Ukraine, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her team spoke with Belarusian prisoners of war who had participated in combat operations as part of the Russian Federation’s occupation forces.

This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Headquarters Secretary Dmytro Usov briefed the foreign delegation on the methods used to recruit Belarusian citizens into the Russian army and noted that such mercenaries are typically deployed in assault operations, resulting in high casualty rates among them.

During the meeting, Usov emphasized that Ukraine strictly adheres to the norms of international law and the conditions for the detention of prisoners, and also recalled the operation since September 2022 of the state project “I Want to Live,” which allows occupiers to voluntarily and safely surrender. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stated that the actions of the captured mercenaries in no way reflect the position of the majority of Belarusian society. The opposition leader expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian people for their resilience and assured that her team is actively working on the international stage to prevent Minsk from being fully drawn into the war by the Kremlin and to draw the world’s attention to the crimes of dictatorial regimes.

Tikhanovskaya arrived in Kyiv on her first visit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an official meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who arrived in Ukraine on her first official visit.