Belarusian Opposition Rocked by Scandals in Lithuania

The Belarusian opposition, largely based in exile, has been plunged into a week of turmoil following two separate, high-profile scandals that threaten both its relationship with its host country, Lithuania, and its credibility among supporters. The controversies involve controversial territorial remarks by a key political figure and severe misconduct allegations against the head of a major human rights fund.

A political firestorm was ignited after Sergei Tikhanovsky, the jailed activist and husband of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, suggested in an interview that he might build Belarusian “islands,” akin to an autonomous district, within Lithuania. “If Belarusians don’t want to fight… I will start to build islands here, like the Germans had a German autonomous district in Russia, or the Jewish one. A country is its people, after all,” he stated.

The comments prompted an immediate and harsh reaction from Lithuanian MP Vytautas Sinica, who filed a formal complaint with the Prosecutor General’s Office. Sinica accused Tikhanovsky of threatening Lithuania’s constitutional order and territorial integrity, which is a criminal offense. He also formally requested that Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs revoke the accreditation of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s office, arguing it has become a base for an “alternative Belarus in exile.”

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s office quickly issued a statement clarifying that her husband had simply “expressed himself poorly.” While Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda urged for understanding, noting Tikhanovsky’s years in prison, the incident has fueled local irritation. Critics in Lithuania have also pointed out that after several years in Vilnius, neither Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya nor her press secretary speak Lithuanian, further straining public perception.

At the same time, the Belarusian diaspora was shaken by a different scandal involving Andrei Strizhak, the head of a prominent foundation that helps activists flee persecution in Belarus. Allegations surfaced that Strizhak had sent unsolicited explicit photographs of himself to multiple women. In the wake of the public outcry, Strizhak resigned from his post, admitting to struggles with both sexual and alcohol addiction and vowing to seek treatment.

The fallout has been devastating for the organization. Despite calls from Tsikhanouskaya and others to separate the actions of the individual from the vital work of the fund, international donors have expressed grave concern and suspended their financing. The scandal has crippled a key lifeline for those opposing the regime in Minsk.

Political analyst Pavel Usov described the events as a symptom of a deeper moral decay within the opposition. He argued that if activists engage in corruption and misconduct while far from power, it raises serious questions about the kind of state they hope to build. “If the new Belarusian community sees no problem in the immoral actions of its activists,” Usov wrote, “I do not understand what kind of change and what kind of state ‘we’ are going to build.” He concluded that this moral collapse represents a significant political victory for the authorities in Belarus, who have effectively exploited their opponents’ weaknesses.