Belarusian Oppositionists In Vilnius: We Struggle For Our And Your Freedom

What Mikalai Statkevich and Pavel Seviarynets talked about in the Lithuanian Seimas.

If the Russian General Staff has plans to invade the territory of the European Union, then the Russian nuclear bomb - the Belarusian nuclear power plant - laid on the border with Lithuania could work. This was stated by Belarusian opposition politicians Mikalai Statkevich and Pavel Seviarynets during a meeting with the members of the Seimas of Lithuania, organized by the Subcommittee on Transatlantic Relations and Democratic Development of the Foreign Affairs Committee, reports Delfi.

According to Žigimantas Pavilenis , meetings in this format are planned to be held once every two months, since such an association brings fruit. The politician proposed to discuss both the internal political and economic situation in Belarus and global geopolitical problems, one of which is the construction of a nuclear power plant in Astravets.

"We are really worried about the situation in Belarus. We can only guess about the plans of the Kremlin, connected with the end of Putin’s authorizations, it’s the domestic situation in Belarus that’s important for us. We have seen no signs of democracy there. We are ready to do whatever we can do to help, communicate directly with the representatives of the Belarusian opposition, we appreciate their hard struggle. Belarus could find inspiration in the example of Ukraine, its rapprochement with the European Union,” MP Andrius Kubilius , who was present at the meeting, said.

Former presidential candidate in Belarus in the 2010 election, former political prisoner, leader of the Belarusian National Congress Mikalai Statkevich began his speech with an apology to the Lithuanian people because the people of Belarus could not prevent the authorities from building a nuclear power plant on the border with Lithuania. He also expressed a desire to thank the people of Lithuania for their principled stance in relation to what is happening in Belarus.

“Unfortunately, such principled politicians in the states of the European Union are now the exception rather than the rule. Politicians in other European states now accept the illegitimate Belarusian regime as an equal partner, disregarding its crimes against our people and the state,” Mikalai Statkevich said.

According to the oppositionist, Lukashenka has recently been perceived in certain circles as a defender of Belarus’s independence from Russia. This opinion is ridiculous, Mikalai Statkevich believes.

“The economy is not being reformed, Russification continues, Russia dominates in the information space, the regime's pressure on the society is increasing, the persecution of patriots does not stop. The reason is that the dictator defends not the independence, but the existing level of subsidies,” the politician said.

According to Mikalai Statkevich, the functioning of the Belarusian political regime, originally formed as a parasitic and puppet, is possible only thanks to the enormous Russian subsidies, without which the existence of the Belarusian state industry would be impossible.

“Without Russian subsidies, this entire large collective farm would have collapsed long ago. Without these subsidies, Belarus would have long forgotten about Lukashenka’s rule,” the politician said.

However, what Lukashenka perceived as a comfortable, permanent state was a process for the Kremlin. At the end of which - full absorption of Belarus. A plan for this takeover was proposed by Lukashenka himself 20 years ago. It is called the “Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State.” Moscow has already decided his fate: in order not to jeopardize the process of incorporation, Lukashenka will be removed at some stage," said Statkevich.

The incorporation of Belarus will allow Putin to remain in power after 2024 as president of the Union State and raise his rating. For an elderly leader who is losing popularity, Mikalai Statkevich believes, this is much better than simply changing the Constitution, because a constitutional change by an unpopular leader will cause a protest of a significant part of the Russian society, and the accession of new lands will result in euphoria and rating growth.

According to the oppositionist, the Belarusian National Congress declared readiness to defend the independence of Belarus by all possible means. Mikalai Statkevich said that he will participate in the parliamentary and presidential elections in Belarus in order to mobilize the protest moods of the population.

“We understand perfectly well that we don’t have any real elections, because election commissions specially selected by the authorities simply do not count votes, but even fake elections provide an opportunity for mass protests. We have no other levers of influence on the power, except mass protests. We will use these campaigns primarily as a legal opportunity for public work in the society for mass actions to force the authorities to return real presidential elections to us.

The electoral legislation does not allow me to take part in elections, but I will fight for the right to participate even in fake elections. We will start the campaign in autumn. Our goal is to force the authorities to make concessions, to force them to return the elections,” said Mikalai Statkevich.

The second guest of the Lithuanian Seimas, former political prisoner, the long-standing leader of the unregistered Belarusian Christian Democratic Party Pavel Seviarynets said that the party nominated his candidacy to participate in the primaries to elect a single leader in the presidential campaign, which should be "sole, for Belarusians to have an alternative " .

Lithuania is one of the rare countries in the West, which in the recent years has held a principled position on Belarus and on the regime, said Pavel Seviarynets, reminding that Belarusians and Lithuanians have long lived in one successful state, and that Belarus has never had conflicts.

The leader of the Belarusian Christian Democrats said that the situation with human rights is deteriorating in Belarus: according to the politician, there are currently 9 political prisoners.

“Unfortunately, for many European politicians this is no longer an argument,” Pavel Seviarynets complained.

The politician said that in Kurapaty (the place of mass burials of the victims of Stalinist repression), the Belarusian authorities are planning to create a National Exhibition Center right next to the burial place. At the same time, wooden crosses, installed by civil activists, are removed there, including the cross, which appeared there thanks to the efforts of Lithuanians in memory of the Lithuanians killed by Stalinists in Belarus.

“It shows the level to which Lukashenka can reach in his striving to please either parts of the Russian elite or the Stalinists inside Belarus,” said Pavel Seviarynets.

“Believe me, Lukashenka uses his relations with the West only to blackmail Moscow. Even now, when he is pressed, he is ready to sell the Belarusian language, glorify Stalin, just to say, I’ll defend your Russian interests here,” said Pavel Seviarynets.

In his opinion, one of such Russian projects is the Belarusian NPP, which is being built in Astravets, 22 km away from the border with Lithuania, and 50 km away from Vilnius. The politician stressed the inexpediency of building a nuclear power plant in Belarus, stating that if it is launched in the end of 2019, as planned, the country will have to close several cities that exist at the expense of thermal power plants, and there is no place to sell electricity.

“This is a Russian nuclear bomb planted on the border with Lithuania - no more, no less. And we think that if there are any plans in the inflamed brains in the Russian General Staff to invade the territory of the European Union, specifically, in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia , then, probably, this nuclear bomb can work,” said Pavel Seviarynets.

The head of the Belarusian Christian Democrats reminded that the leader of the uprising of 1863-1864. Kastus Kalinouski, whose remains along with the bodies of other insurgents are to be reburied in the Rasu cemetery in Vilnius, is not a hero for the Belarusian authorities, since “he fought against Russia”. The politician appealed to the Seimas deputies with the request that representatives of the civil society of Belarus could participate in the reburial ceremony. Anatol Mikhnavets, the leader of the Belarusian National Memory organization who was present at the meeting, also asked for this.

“We lived together in the successful civilization of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. We struggle for our and your freedom. So I am asking on behalf of myself and many people who see a great friend in Lithuania, who will always help in trouble: do not forget that Belarus is not Lukashenka, that the Belarusians who are fighting for freedom are your brothers. We believe! We can! We will win!” Pavel Seviarynets concluded emotionally in Belarusian.

Mikalai Statkevich announced an increase in protest moods in the Belarusian society. According to the politician, the greatest degree of hatred towards the Belarusian authorities is observed among residents of small villages in eastern Belarus. Statkevich called low wages one of the reasons for the negative attitude of the population towards the authorities, labor migration to Russia, Poland and Lithuania, the collapse of families.

According to the politician, the Belarusian society has changed: in the 90s, 27% of the population supported Belarus’s independence, and 40% were against; now 95% of the people support the republic’s sovereignty, while Putin’s rating in Belarus is several times higher than Lukashenka’ rating.

“Whether we want it or not, we are facing dramatic changes. Part of the population is ready for everything so that Lukashenka will be removed, even if it is Putin. 17% of people are ready to defend independence from Russia. It seems that this is not much, but women usually they don’t talk about weapons in their hands, the sick, pensioners also. This means about a million healthy men. I think that’s sufficient,” said Mikalai Statkevich.

The Lieutenant Colonel in reserve, one of the founders of the Belarusian Military Association, Mikalai Statkevich, even before the collapse of the USSR, developed the concept of creating the Belarusian army. Meanwhile, according to the politician, in the event of a threat to the independence of Belarus from the Russian Federation, due to the large percentage of pro-Russian and ethnic Russians among the commanding staff, it is impossible to count on the army, as well as on other power structures in Belarus.

“The situation is worse than in Ukraine. But we have very big traditions of partisan war. I always say this publicly and openly. We have 1000 km of border with NATO countries and 1000 km with Ukraine. There are hundreds of Belarusian volunteers who fought in the Donbas in Ukraine. And even a few hundred armed men are enough to start the process of mass partisan war.

I say this because I do not want this to happen. But if the rebellion happens earlier than incorporation, they [Russia] will definitely not intervene. Now 60% of Belarusians are very positive towards Russia. But they will immediately change their mind when Russia invades. We will wait further. The revolution cannot be organized, but it can be headed, and I don’t hide it, we are preparing for this,” Statkevich summarized.