Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Siarhei Tsikhanouski join pro-Ukraine rally in Vilnius

VILNIUS - Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her husband Siarhei joined the 148th weekly rally in solidarity with Ukraine in Vilnius Cathedral Square on Monday, reiterating that the three nations - the Lithuanians, Belarusians and Ukrainians - are united by a common enemy.

"The Lithuanians, Ukrainians and Belarusians have a common enemy, which is the Putin and Lukashenko regimes," Tsikhanouski told the gathering. "Our enemies are always trying to set us against each other, to make us angry, and as if to say that the Belarusians are helping the Russians. But no, the Belarusians are certainly not helping the Russians, and there is only one person (who is helping them - BNS), and that is Lukashenko."

Tsikhanouski stressed that Crimea is Ukrainian territory and Vilnius belongs to Lithuania.

"The Belarusians stand for the integrity of Ukraine," Tsikhanouski said. "Crimea is Ukraine and will always be Ukraine. And Vilnius is Lithuania and will always be Lithuania. Anyone who says otherwise is a provocateur, a criminal and a traitor."

He once again reiterated that he has no intention to create "Belarusian islands" in Lithuania and urged not to give in to the provocations of enemies.

As BNS reported earlier, in a recent YouTube broadcast, Tsikhanouski said that if Alexander Lukashenko's regime could not be overthrown, Belarusians forced to flee their country could create autonomous "islands" abroad.

He later said he had been misunderstood and said he talked about setting up Belarusian business hubs to help his compatriots maintain contacts with each other, foster their culture and language.

In response to Tsikhanouski's statement, Vytautas Sinica, a member of the Lithuanian parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, proposed to the Foreign Ministry to revoke the accreditation of the Belarusian Democracy Representative Office in Lithuania.

Lithuanian politicians rejected Tsikhanouski's idea as absurd. President Gitanas Nauseda called it "a matter of national security" and said "such improvisations are unacceptable." However, he also urged not to react too harshly to Tsikhanouski's remarks and to understand the situation of a man who had been imprisoned for five years in Belarus.

Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya stressed he importance of unity in the face of pressure from the enemy.

"It is very important for us to remain united with the US, the European Union and the whole free democratic world, and to continue to put pressure on the Putin regime," she said. "We also ask for pressure to be put on the Lukashenko regime that has dragged us into this war by supporting Russia."

Tsikhanouskaya stressed that her people have supported Ukraine since the beginning of the war, and more than 80 Belarusians have lost their lives fighting for Ukraine.