Blogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski questioned his wife’s legitimacy — Deutsche Welle

Belarusian blogger and former political prisoner Siarhei Tsikhanouski publicly criticized the activities of his wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her office, and also questioned her legitimacy as a representative of Belarusian democratic forces. Deutsche Welle reported this, citing his YouTube broadcasts.

Tsikhanouski stated that Tsikhanouskaya has a certain legitimacy from the European Union, but, according to him, people who currently remain in Belarus did not grant her such a mandate. He also claims that some of those who voted for Tsikhanouskaya as the opposition’s joint candidate in the 2020 election later regretted doing so.

Proposal for a supervisory council

Tsikhanouski proposes creating a supervisory council called the “United Office of Democratic Forces.” In his view, it should include former presidential candidates, protest leaders and symbolic figures of the revolution, including himself and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Such a structure, he believes, could oversee the distribution of grant funds.

The former political prisoner also called his wife a so-called technical candidate and stated that she received votes primarily from opponents of Alexander Lukashenko. These claims reflect Tsikhanouski’s own position.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Reaction and political scientist’s assessment

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her office did not comment on either the family situation or the public criticism from her husband. In December 2025, she told Deutsche Welle that events in the public sphere and in the family are different matters. Tsikhanouskaya also said that she understands her husband’s traumatic experience after five years of imprisonment and that the family would deal with the situation privately.

Political scientist Yury Drakakhrust called the situation within the democratic forces a crisis, but expressed doubt that Tsikhanouski would be able to reach an agreement with all potential members of the proposed council. In his view, Tsikhanouskaya has already built up resources, political status and international representation through her office. He noted that she is received at a high level as a leader of Belarus and Belarusian democracy.

Siarhei Tsikhanouski was detained in Belarus in May 2020 after announcing his intention to run for president. In December 2021, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison, including for organizing mass riots. In June 2025, he was released after nearly five years of imprisonment and forcibly taken out of the country.