Tikhanovskaya honored Belarusian volunteers in Kyiv
During her visit to Kyiv, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya presented awards to Belarusian volunteers participating in combat operations as part of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. These are medals for Belarusian citizens fighting on Ukraine’s side in the Russia-Ukraine war. The event took place as part of the opposition politician’s visit to the Ukrainian capital.
She reported this on Telegram and shared a video from the event.
In particular, the awards were received by fighters from the Kastuś Kalinowski Regiment.
Tikhanovskaya stated that it is important to value every contribution to the struggle for a free Ukraine, since an independent Ukraine, in her words, means an independent Belarus.
During the event, participants sang the national anthem and observed a moment of silence to honor those who died in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
According to Tikhanovskaya, 90 Belarusians who fought on Ukraine’s side against the Russian occupiers have already died in the war.
She arrived in Kyiv on May 25 and subsequently met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybyga. Ahead of her visit, Tsikhanouskaya stated that she wanted to discuss with Ukrainian authorities the issues facing Belarusians living and fighting in Ukraine.
The Belarusian opposition leader emphasized that Ukraine’s victory could open a “window of opportunity” for Belarus, and she also spoke out against easing European sanctions against Lukashenko’s regime.
The Kastuś Kalinowski Regiment
The unit was formed at the start of the full-scale invasion in March 2022 to defend the city of Kyiv. At that time, a battalion was formed from members of the “Belarus” tactical group, participants in the “Bely Legion” and “Malady Front,” as well as other Belarusian volunteers.
The unit was named after Kastuś Kalinoŭski—one of the leaders of the national liberation uprising of Belarusians, Poles, Lithuanians, and Ukrainians, and a national hero of Belarus.
Belarushas restricted access to forests near the border with Ukraine.
As a reminder, Belarus has begun exercises to practice the use of nuclear weapons.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is attempting to draw Belarus deeper into the war against Ukraine and is considering new scenarios for aggression from its territory.
Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Alexander Lukashenko, held a meeting on military equipment and announced the preparation of a new state armament program for 2026–2030.
Belarus continues to build infrastructure facilities deep within its territory and is not moving them closer to the Ukrainian border. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that Russia may use these facilities in the future to deploy additional forces and equipment.
