Belarus's exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanoŭskaya made her first ever visit to Ukraine on 25 May, she said on Telegram. She went directly from the train to the grave of a fallen young Belarusian woman who died fighting for Ukraine as a volunteer. Her agenda also includes meetings with Ukrainian leadership and the International Summit of Cities and Regions.
The visit comes a day after France's Macron used his first call with Lukashenka since 2022 to urge him not to let Belarus be drawn into Russia's war. Tsikhanoŭskaya has consistently argued that Belarus must be included in any peace settlement and that the country under Lukashenka has become a Russian military platform.
"Free Kyiv — Free Minsk" on her train ticket
Tsikhanoŭskaya posted a photo of her Ukrzaliznytsia ticket. It read "Przemyśl — Free Kyiv — Free Minsk." She thanked Ukrzaliznytsia for delivering her "safely and quickly" to the city.
At Maryia Zaitsava's grave before any meeting
From the train station, Tsikhanoŭskaya went straight to the grave of Maryia Zaitsava, a Belarusian volunteer killed fighting for Ukraine, she wrote on Telegram. Zaitsava, 24, had joined Belarusian volunteer units after Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion. In 2020, she had been among thousands of Belarusians who came out against the Lukashenka regime. Liga reported Zaitsava died on the Pokrovsk axis.
Tsikhanoŭskaya called Zaitsava a symbol of a new generation of Belarusians who understand that "the freedom of Belarus and the freedom of Ukraine are inseparable." Deputy head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Pavel Latushka, and the cabinet's chief of staff, Valer Matskevich, joined her at the grave.
After visiting Lukianivka: Lukashenka's regime "bears responsibility"
Tsikhanoŭskaya also walked through Kyiv's Lukianivka district, where the 24 May Russian strikes destroyed the Kvadrat shopping center. She tied the destruction directly to Belarus.
"And Lukashenka's regime bears its own responsibility for this, because it allowed Belarusian territory to be used for aggression, for the launch of missiles and the placement of Russian weapons," she wrote. She also said "Belarusians are with you" and closed with "Slava Ukraini! Long Live Belarus!"
From hedging to solidarity: how Belarus’s exiled opposition came to stand with Ukraine
What the visit signals
Her chief of staff Franak Viačorka told Liga the visit is tied to Russia's effort to drag Belarus deeper into the war. He said it signals to the Lukashenka regime that if the 2022 invasion scenario repeats, Ukraine is ready to respond.
Viačorka named four goals: thanking Ukraine, setting up systematic cooperation with Belarusian democratic forces, preventing Belarusians from being drawn into the war, and increasing pressure on both Putin and Lukashenka. He said Ukraine has not yet appointed a special representative to work with the Belarusian opposition, but his side hopes for one.
