Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya began working in Warsaw last week, where her office plans to open a new base of operations, while maintaining a presence in Lithuania, her team said.
According to a statement from Tsikhanouskaya’s office, her team will expand activities in the Polish capital to strengthen cooperation with Polish and international partners, as well as with the Belarusian community in Poland.
“We are expanding our activities in Warsaw, and I hope our presence here will strengthen cooperation with Polish and international allies, as well as with the Belarusian community in Poland,” Tsikhanouskaya said in the statement. “Poland is currently home to the largest Belarusian community living in exile.”
She said her team would continue its work in Lithuania and cooperate closely with the Lithuanian government.
“At the same time, we are continuing our activities in Lithuania and working with the Lithuanian government. We are grateful to the governments of Poland and Lithuania for their continued support of our movement and their solidarity,” Tsikhanouskaya said.
Team members who speak Polish and are familiar with the country’s political and social context are expected to relocate to Warsaw, including advisers Franak Viachorka and Aliaksandr Dabravolski. Meetings with representatives of the Belarusian community are underway, and preparations are being made to open physical office premises.
Once the Warsaw office opens, the Vilnius office will continue operating, retaining its registration and diplomatic accreditation, the statement said.
Tsikhanouskaya said she plans to visit Lithuania frequently and wants Vilnius to remain the centre of her diplomatic operations, as well as one of the hubs for Belarusian democratic forces and civil society.
“As a result, most of my team, including the international department, will continue to work in Lithuania,” she said.
The office in Lithuania will be headed by Tsikhanouskaya’s aide Dzianis Kuchynski. Adviser Anatoli Liabedzka and Volha Zazulinskaya, the United Transitional Cabinet’s representative for social policy, will also remain in Vilnius.
Tsikhanouskaya informed Lithuanian lawmakers in January of her decision to begin working from Warsaw.
Lithuania reduced security protection for Tsikhanouskaya in late 2025, citing a lower threat level. Critics said the move diminished her status.
Tsikhanouskaya ran against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus’ 2020 election. The opposition maintains she was the rightful winner of the vote.
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