Public Spat Exposes Rift in Belarusian Opposition Leadership

A high-profile trip to the UN General Assembly for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, marked by a series of meetings with Western leaders and even a brief corridor exchange with Donald Trump, was dramatically overshadowed by a public confrontation with her own husband.

While Tikhanovskaya’s press service celebrated a long list of successful diplomatic encounters, the trip’s most impactful moment came not in a high-level meeting room, but during a gathering with the Belarusian diaspora. Her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, the blogger whose arrest propelled her into politics, unexpectedly seized control of the event.

Acting as the self-proclaimed voice of the common people, Sergei Tikhanovsky aggressively questioned his wife on her office’s strategy to bring politically exiled Belarusians back home. The tension peaked when Svetlana was reminded of an upcoming interview with CNN. Sergei erupted in protest, arguing that she should remain with the diaspora. “That’s not the right channel,” he declared. “Fox News is the channel Donald Trump watches, and he’d be pleased to see Svetlana… and free our guys. If he sees her on CNN, I think it will have the opposite effect.”

Visibly flustered, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya conceded to her husband’s pressure, publicly blaming her advisor, Franak Viačorka, for the tight schedule before abruptly canceling the interview. The public capitulation sent shockwaves through opposition circles, revealing a deep fracture at its very core.

Sergei later addressed the incident on his Telegram channel, admitting his tone was harsh but doubling down on his frustrations. “I was angry that they are trying to use me. Use me as a talisman,” he wrote, complaining he is excluded from planning and decision-making. “We too often disagree with Svetlana’s entourage. This is a problem,” he added, confirming a significant internal conflict.

Political analysts condemned the public spectacle as a damaging blow to the opposition’s image. Political scientist Aliaksandr Klaskouski described the incident as a public assertion of dominance. “It emphasized his desire to dominate: look, she may be an idol for you, but she is only my wife,” Klaskouski commented, highlighting the stark contrast with Tikhanovskaya’s widely recognized transformation “from a housewife into a seasoned politician” over the past five years.