Tsikhanouskaya: Lukashenko ready to keep giving Putin Belarusian territory for attacks on Ukraine
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Ukrinform at the UN General Assembly in New York that Alyaksandr Lukashenko is prepared to keep providing Vladimir Putin with Belarusian territory and infrastructure for attacks on Ukraine from the northern border. She described the relationship between the two leaders as a "symbiotic friendship" and warned that Belarusian escalation could also target European countries.
Key points
- Tsikhanouskaya spoke to Ukrinform on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly high-level week in New York.
- She said Lukashenko is ready to keep providing Putin with Belarusian territory, logistics, and infrastructure for attacks on Ukraine from the northern border.
- She described Belarusian-Russian relations as a "symbiotic friendship" and said hopes of pulling Lukashenko away from Putin are futile.
- Tsikhanouskaya said Belarusian infrastructure, including logistics and drone-direction antennas, is already being used by Russia and could be used further.
- She warned that Belarusian retransmitters are being installed not only along the Ukrainian border but also on Belarus's border with EU countries.
- Tsikhanouskaya said 500–600 Belarusian enterprises produce optics, microchips, and oil products for Russia and procure sanction-circumventing components for Russia's military machine.
- On 21 September, Tsikhanouskaya took part in the Latvia- and EU-organized ministerial event "Belarus: accomplice in Russia's war against Ukraine and a threat to international security."
Why it matters
Tsikhanouskaya's remarks frame Belarus as an active co-participant in Russia's war against Ukraine rather than merely a host of Russian forces, and surface concrete Belarusian contributions — drone-direction antennas, logistics, and sanctions-evading dual-use components — that could broaden Western sanctions debates. Her warning that Belarusian escalation could also target EU and NATO countries extends the threat picture beyond Ukraine's northern border, while her assessment that Lukashenko cannot be detached from Putin has implications for Ukraine-relevant diplomacy at the UN.
What happened
Speaking to Ukrinform on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly high-level week in New York, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said that Alyaksandr Lukashenko is ready to keep providing Vladimir Putin with Belarusian territory, logistics, and infrastructure for attacks on Ukraine from the northern border. She described Belarusian-Russian relations as a "symbiotic friendship" and said hopes of distancing Lukashenko from Putin are futile.
Tsikhanouskaya stated that Belarusian infrastructure, including logistics and antennas for directing drones, is already being used by Russia, and warned that retransmitters are being installed not only along the Belarusian-Ukrainian border but also on Belarus's border with EU countries. She said escalation or provocations by Belarus could be directed not only against Ukraine but also against European countries.
Asked whether Lukashenko acts out of fear of Putin, Tsikhanouskaya answered affirmatively, adding that this does not justify his policies. She said Lukashenko would like Russia to win the war against Ukraine, and that a Ukrainian victory would be a catastrophe for him because a weakened Putin would mean less support for his regime. She also said Lukashenko has allowed Russia to penetrate Belarusian media, education, the economy, and the defense sector, and that an intensive russification of Belarus is underway.
On the economic dimension, Tsikhanouskaya said 500–600 Belarusian enterprises produce optics and microchips, procure components in circumvention of sanctions for Russia's war effort, and supply Russia with oil products. She also said the Belarusian regime is expanding warehouses for the Russian marketplace Wildberries.
The UN General Assembly high-level week is taking place in New York with more than 130 heads of state and government, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On 21 September, Tsikhanouskaya took part in the Latvia- and EU-organized ministerial event "Belarus: accomplice in Russia's war against Ukraine and a threat to international security," which Ukraine and other countries also attended.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both supplied sources are Ukrainian — Ukrinform and a Ukrainian media outlet — and reproduce Tsikhanouskaya's remarks at length. The coverage foregrounds the Ukrainian angle: attacks from the northern border, sanctions evasion benefiting Russia, and her warning that Belarusian escalation could also threaten European countries. The framing presents Belarus as a willing co-belligerent supplying territory, infrastructure, and dual-use industrial output to Russia's war effort.
Where reporting differs
The two Ukrainian sources differ on what specifically Tsikhanouskaya said Belarus would keep providing: one frames it as "Belarusian territory for attacks on Ukraine," while the other adds Belarusian territory and infrastructure "for attacks on Ukraine" with the added characterization that Lukashenko would do so "with pleasure."
Background
On 21 September, within the UN General Assembly high-level week, Latvia and the EU organized a ministerial event titled "Belarus: accomplice in Russia's war against Ukraine and a threat to international security," attended by Ukraine and other countries. Earlier in September, Tsikhanouskaya had already publicly stated that Russia could use Belarusian territory and military infrastructure for provocations against NATO countries.