Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: podcast appearances and interviews

Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya is a Belarusian opposition leader and political activist born on September 11, 1982. She emerged as a prominent figure in Belarusian politics following the 2020 presidential election, in which she ran against President Alexander Lukashenko. Her candidacy was precipitated by her husband's attempt to run in the election; after his arrest along with other opposition figures, Tsikhanouskaya entered the race herself. Lukashenko permitted her candidacy under the assumption that a woman could not constitute a legitimate threat to his rule. She campaigned on a platform advocating constitutional reform, including free and fair elections with presidential term limits, and pledged to step down once reforms were implemented. Following the election, which international observers regard as fraudulent, she was detained and subsequently forced into exile in Lithuania. From exile, Tsikhanouskaya has led opposition efforts from Lithuania and Poland, establishing an opposition government that includes a Coordination Council and a United Transitional Cabinet. She has engaged with foreign leaders to press for sanctions against Lukashenko's government and to challenge his legitimacy. In addition to her opposition activities, she has publicly supported increased Western assistance to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and warned against allowing Russia’s actions to overshadow opposition to the Belarusian dictatorship. In 2023, the Belarusian government sentenced her in absentia to fifteen years of imprisonment.