00:00Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanovskaya visits Kyiv amid Russian missile strikes.
00:07Kyiv, May 25th. Svyatlana Tsikhanovskaya, the leader of Belarus' Democratic opposition,
00:14arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Monday for her first visit to a country embroiled in a four-year
00:19war with Russia. Her arrival came just hours after a devastating Russian drone and missile attack
00:26on May 24th that killed at least four people and wounded more than 80 across the Kyiv region.
00:33A symbolic visit. Tsikhanovskaya's delegation laid flowers at the graves of Belarusian volunteers
00:39who have died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russian aggression. Among them was Maria
00:45Zaitseva, a Belarusian woman killed during fighting in 2025. Before traveling to Kyiv,
00:52Tsikhanovskaya told Radio Free Europe slash Radio Liberty,
00:56I am going to Ukraine with the question, how can we, as a society, help Ukraine? We all understand
01:03the consequences of this war and the serious impact on the situation in Belarus. If Ukraine wins,
01:09it will be the greatest opportunity for Belarusians to liberate Belarus, she said during an interview in
01:15Prague prior to her visit. Our fate depends on Ukraine's victory as well. Chernobyl visit.
01:21During her trip, Tsikhanovskaya visited the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the abandoned city of
01:27Pripyat, accompanied by a delegation of more than 180 participants from the fourth international
01:32summit of cities and regions. The Belarusian delegation was led by Tsikhanovskaya and included
01:37Francisak Villakorka and other democratic opposition figures. From the very beginning of the visit,
01:43you feel pain, first of all, Tsikhanovskaya told Belsat. In Kiev, I saw destroyed buildings.
01:49Here, of course, it's a different disaster. But still, you see a destroyed city. What can unite
01:55these two disasters is that this should never happen again. Neither war, nor aggression against
02:01Ukraine, nor a disaster at a nuclear power plant. She expressed outrage that Russian drones had fallen
02:07into the sarcophagus above the fourth power unit during the war, warning this could have caused a new
02:13nuclear disaster. The May 24th attack. The timing of Tsikhanovskaya's visit coincided with one of the
02:20largest Russian aerial assaults since the war began in February 2022. Russia reportedly used up to 90
02:28missiles and 600 drones, including the rare deployment of the Orishnik hypersonic ballistic missile,
02:35marking only the third time this weapon has been used in the conflict. Ukrainian air defenses
02:40successfully intercepted 549 drones and 55 missiles, though significant damage was still
02:46inflicted on the capital. Damage was recorded at 50 locations across several districts, including
02:52residential buildings, shopping centers, schools, and police department buildings. The Orishnik,
02:58which Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed is immune to any missile defense system and capable
03:04of reaching Mach 10 speeds, struck the city of Bila Tzerkva in the Kyiv region.
03:10Belarus's role in the war. Tsikhanovskaya has long criticized Belarusian dictator Alexander
03:16Lukashenko for allowing Belarusian territory to be used for Russian military operations.
03:22Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Belarus has permitted Russian forces to use its territory
03:28as a launching pad for attacks on Ukraine, and Belarusian hospitals have treated wounded Russian
03:33soldiers. However, Lukashenko has so far refused to commit Belarusian forces to direct combat.
03:40Recent joint Russian-Belarusian nuclear exercises, which concluded shortly before Tsikhanovskaya's visit,
03:46have raised concerns in Kyiv and among European capitals. French President warns Lukashenko.
03:53In a sign of growing international concern, French President Emmanuel Macron held a rare phone call
03:59with Lukashenko on May 24, their first direct conversation since 2022. According to sources cited
04:06by Swiss outlet Luton, Macron warned Lukashenko against involving Belarus more deeply in Russia's
04:13war against Ukraine. Lukashenko's press service confirmed the call, stating it took place at the
04:19initiative of the French side. The two leaders discussed the regional situation, bilateral relations,
04:25and Minsk's ties with the European Union. The call came amid reports that Ukraine has ordered tighter
04:31security measures in its five northern regions bordering Belarus and Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has
04:37specifically mentioned strengthening the Chernihiv-Kiev sector in response to potential threats from
04:42Belarusian territory. Ukrainian Foreign Minister's Statement
04:46Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha announced Tsikhanovskaya's upcoming visit on May 22,
04:54contrasting it with Lukashenko's recent statement that he would be willing to hold direct talks with
04:59the Ukrainian president. We recently saw a strange statement from Lukashenko, that he is ready to meet
05:06and come to Kyiv, Sibiha said. The Ukrainian side has someone to meet with. We are expecting Tsikhanovskaya
05:13to visit Ukraine in the near future. Therefore, we have someone to talk to about the full range of
05:18issues. During her visit, Tsikhanovskaya is scheduled to meet with President Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister
05:25Sibiha, parliamentary leadership, and EU diplomats. The opening of the mission of the democratic forces of
05:31Belarus in Ukraine is also planned. Tsikhanovskaya's message. Tsikhanovskaya has been living in exile
05:38since the disputed 2020 presidential election, which international observers and Western governments
05:44widely condemned as fraudulent. Lukashenko claimed victory in that election, while Tsikhanovskaya and
05:50opposition supporters argue she was the true winner. I am convinced that Ukraine is a leader in our region,
05:57and its influence will only continue to grow, Tsikhanovskaya told Ukraineform. No one had
06:03previously dared to put Russia in its place, or openly challenge it, but Ukraine did. She emphasized
06:10that Belarusians share a common enemy with Ukraine, and must fight together. The path toward Europe and
06:16the European Union, which Ukraine is now forging, will also create an opportunity for Belarus to follow
06:22the same course, she said. As for Lukashenko, Tsikhanovskaya stated flatly, he serves Russia,
06:29not the Belarusian people.
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