VILNIUS - Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene says Lithuania's image should not suffer despite Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's move from Vilnius to Warsaw, as cooperation with the Belarusian opposition continues.
"When someone moves to another country, this certainly does not undermine our support for the Belarusian opposition. If we continue to support the opposition, remain in contact and work together, I see no reason why these relations should change or why Lithuania's image should suffer," the prime minister told reporters on Monday.
In late 2025, Lithuania downgraded Tsikhanouskaya's protection level, with the police now in charge of her protection, instead of the Dignitary Protection Service. This was done on the grounds that the threat to Tsikhanouskaya had decreased, but critics said that this had diminished her status.
Ruginiene said the decision was taken after the services concluded, following a threat assessment, that the new level of protection was sufficient for the Belarusian opposition leader.
"Whether to stay in Lithuania or move to another country is a personal decision. We respect democratic processes; we respect the Belarusian opposition," the prime minister said.
As reported by BNS, Tsikhanouskaya informed Lithuanian MPs earlier this month of her decision to move to Warsaw.
According to President Gitanas Nauseda, the Belarusian opposition representative's team is splitting its activities, with some members remaining in Vilnius.
Tsikhanouskaya ran against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, in the 2020 presidential election, with the opposition claiming that she was the real winner of the vote.
The Belarusian authorities then cracked down on protests, arresting thousands of people and forcing even more to flee abroad.
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