On May 25, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Kyiv for the first time since the start of the full-scale war — by special train from Przemyśl. Ukrzaliznytsia issued her a ticket with the route «Przemyśl — Free Kyiv — Free Minsk». The symbolism was not accidental: the trip took place a day after Russia's massive strike on May 24 — 600 drones and 90 missiles against Ukrainian cities.
Tsikhanouskaya's Chief of Staff Franak Viačorka confirmed to LIGA.net: the visit's theme was precisely the deepening of Belarus's involvement in the war. According to gordonua.com, on May 23 Tsikhanouskaya herself warned: if Putin and Lukashenko pursue escalation and a new offensive from Belarusian territory, «the response could be appropriate» — and Lukashenko's regime might not survive this.
«We understand that Lukashenko could hand over our territory to strikes at any moment. But we must distinguish between Lukashenko and his ambitions to serve Putin and the Belarusian people»
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, interview with Ukrinform, May 23
Symbolically, Tsikhanouskaya began her arrival at a cemetery — laying flowers at the grave of Maria Zaitseva, a Belarusian activist who, after the 2020 protests, emigrated, became a combat medic and sniper in the Second International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and was killed in January 2025 on the Pokrovsk direction. Zaitseva is a posthumous recipient of the Order «For Courage» III degree. For the opposition, this is not a ritual of mourning, but a key argument in conversation with Kyiv: Belarusians are already fighting for Ukraine.
Mission Instead of Memorandum
The central practical result of the visit was the opening of the Mission of Democratic Forces of Belarus in Ukraine. This is neither an honorary consulate nor an NGO: a permanent representation of the opposition United Transitional Cabinet (UTC) in a warring country bordering Belarus. Previously, according to Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition had already cooperated with «certain structures in Ukraine» for information exchange, but without official status.
The negotiation program included Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada, and EU diplomats. Sybiha had already discussed the threat from Belarus with the NATO Secretary General on May 21 — before Tsikhanouskaya's visit, not after.
- Tsikhanouskaya was sentenced in absentia in Belarus to 15 years, and her organization is recognized as «extremist»
- Her husband Sergei Tikhanovskii was released from detention in June 2025 following a visit to Minsk by U.S. Special Representative Keith Kellogg
- Parallel to Tsikhanouskaya's arrival, Macron publicly warned Lukashenko against involvement in the war
Why Now
Kyiv is increasingly positioning Belarus as a country that could return to the European space — but only after a change of regime. The opposition's visit during an active phase of escalation establishes: Ukraine is beginning to build institutional ties with a «government in exile» before the question of Belarus's future becomes the subject of any peace negotiations.
Tsikhanouskaya insists that the Belarusian army will not voluntarily go to fight against Ukraine — according to her, only 4% of citizens support such participation. But the key word here is «voluntarily»: Ukrainian intelligence has recorded that Lukashenko himself is uncertain about the loyalty of his own military.
If the Mission of Democratic Forces of Belarus in Kyiv receives real authority — for example, coordination of recruiting Belarusians into the Armed Forces of Ukraine or intelligence exchange — this would change its status from symbolic to operational. This very question remains open after the first official handshake.
