The leader of the opposition in Belarus said - the fate of the country is linked with Ukraine, will have to fight unitedly against Russia

Belarus's opposition leader said on Friday that Belarus and Ukraine are closely related and that the two countries should fight together to defend their existence as Russia does not see them as independent sovereign states.

Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko fled Lithuania after claiming victory in the disputed August 2020 elections, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in an interview with the Associated Press that Belarus and Ukraine were once part of the Russian Empire. 

According to his remarks during the United Nations General Assembly, Ukraine and Belarus will continue to face security threats.

Sikhanoushskaya said that no country wanted to be part of another Russian or Soviet empire. 

In accordance with Belarus' agreement with Russia, President Lukashenko said last month that Belarusian warplanes had been modified to carry nuclear weapons. According to him, 'targets have been selected' to retaliate against the United States and its allies. 

According to Lukashenko, the war in Ukraine was "extremely unpredictable" and Belarusians in particular are protesting the struggle "against the Ukrainians, our brothers and sisters".

The opposition has achieved 'a lot' since fleeing Lithuania two years ago, said Shikhanovskaya, despite Lukashenko's 'terror and repression' and the imprisonment of thousands of political prisoners, including her husband' People are not giving up. 

As a result of the coalition building of the opposition, said Tsikhanovskaya, 'many points of pressure have been created against this regime.

Against the Lukashenko regime, there are now six packages of sanctions pushed by the opposition. He said the sanctions have put stress and pressure on the president, leading him to focus only on staying in power rather than doing what's best for the country.

Tsikhanouskaya said that Lukashenko and his followers are adept at bypassing sanctions using third parties. He said one way to stop this is for the EU to follow the United States and impose secondary sanctions.

In addition to urging the international community to continue pressuring Lukashenko, he also urged Belarusian civil society to help human rights defenders, cultural figures and politicians, suggesting new restrictions on the export of timber, potash and steel to Belarus. who are fighting against the government.