Three hostages released by Belarusian regime are in Vilnius

Three hostages released by the authoritarian Belarusian regime of Alexander Lukashenko are currently in Vilnius, the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has announced.

“Wonderful news! Three hostages of the Belarus regime have just been released. All of them are now safe in Vilnius,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X on Wednesday evening.

Wonderful news! Three hostages of the Belarus regime have just been released. All of them are now safe in Vilnius.

One of the released, activist Alena Maushuk, is in a serious health condition, and we are now bringing her to a safe place. But most importantly—she is alive and… pic.twitter.com/JfqHb0drnh
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) February 12, 2025

One of the released hostages, an activist Alena Maushuk, “is in a serious health condition, and we are now bringing her to a safe place”, Tsikhanouskaya added.

Andrei Kuznechyk, a Belarusian Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist, who has been imprisoned in Belarus for more than three years, is also among those released.

So great to see Belarusian @svaboda journalist Andrei Kuznechyk released from prison. He is now safe in Vilnius, reunited with his family.

Andrei spent over three years behind bars as a political prisoner, unjustly persecuted by Lukashenka’s regime for his journalistic work. pic.twitter.com/fJKkk8nz37
— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) February 12, 2025

US officials announced on Wednesday that they had managed to free three hostages held in Belarus, including one American citizen.

“Huge thanks to US President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and the U.S. State Department for their joint efforts in making this happen,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X.

“We are pleased that three hostages held in Belarus have been freed, one of whom is a US citizen. [...] This is a great day for the American team, for the president, and for the secretary of state,” US Ambassador to Lithuania Kara McDonald told CNN on Wednesday.

Chris Smith, US Assistant Secretary of State for Eastern European Affairs, described a special operation in which he and other US officials “crossed the Belarusian border (and) travelled to Minsk to meet with our Belarusian counterparts who had brought these three hostages to us”.

“They were handed over to us and we took them back through Lithuania,” he told CNN.

“President Trump’s strong leadership has led to the release of an American unjustly detained in Belarus and two political prisoners. I want to particularly thank the Lithuanian government for its cooperation and assistance – they remain a true ally and friend,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement on Wednesday.

“We remain committed to the release of other U.S. citizens in Belarus and elsewhere. We call for the release of nearly 1,300 political prisoners who remain in jail across Belarus,” he added.

The identity of the released US citizen has not been revealed.