Natallia Radzina: How Different Are The Interviews Of Bialiatski, Leaders Of "European Belarus" From Babariko And Kolesnikova

• 18.12.2025, 18:43

The contrast is striking.

Editor-in-Chief of the Charter97.org website Natallia Radzina became a guest of YouTube channel of the well-known journalist Evgeny Kiselyov. The main topic of conversation is the release of 123 political prisoners released by Lukashenko in exchange for the removal of U.S. sanctions on Belaruskali. Why did the Belarusian dictator take this step? Natallia Radzina believes that the regime urgently needed money:

- The situation for Lukashenko's regime is catastrophic. Western sanctions, which were imposed on the regime in 2020 and then intensified in 2022 with the start of Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine and the use of Belarusian territory for attack, have hit the economy very hard.

The situation for the regime is most difficult. Today, despite the fact that trade with Russia has intensified, it could in no way replace the volume of trade that Belarus had with Ukraine and the European Union. That is why it is extremely important for Lukashenko today that sanctions are lifted.

I'm sure Lukashenko's officials are out to get the Trump administration. My guess is that they were probably Valentin Rybakov, head of Belarus' UN mission, and his wife, now Deputy Prime Minister and former deputy head of Lukashenko's administration, Natalya Petkevich. These are the people who have been negotiating with the West on behalf of Lukashenko for a long time, and in previous years they sought the lifting of sanctions against the regime in exchange for the release of prisoners.

Evgeny Kiselev asked about further plans of political prisoners and press conference, which was held on December 14. Natallia Radzina drew attention to the negative reaction of Belarusians to some of the statements of its participants:

- First of all, people have certainly been through hell. One should realize that five years in Lukashenko's prison is a very serious test for a person. And, of course, first of all, all released political prisoners need to restore their health today. One should realize that people are in shock, they were deported not to safe Lithuania, but to the country where there is a war - Ukraine. Many were thrown out of the country without documents.

The first press conference of four political prisoners was held. They are presidential candidate Viktor Babariko, his chief of staff Maria Kolesnikova, human rights activist Vladimir Labkovich and philologist Alexander Feduta. This press conference was held in one of the hospitals of Chernihiv city.

Many people were surprised at this press conference by the speeches of Viktor Babariko and Maria Kolesnikova. I saw a lot of outrage on social media as to why they did not unequivocally support Ukraine in this war and condemn Putin's criminal regime. Also Viktor Babariko gave an interview to the Ukrainian blogger Vladimir Zolkin, where for three minutes he could not answer the question whose Crimea.

I want to emphasize that one cannot judge the whole Belarusian opposition by these two people. Because neither Viktor Babariko, nor Maria Kolesnikova have never been the leaders of the Belarusian opposition in reality. They appeared on the political skyline of Belarus literally in May 2020. Already in June, Viktor Babariko was arrested, while Maria Kolesnikova - in September 2020.

You know, as a journalist with experience of work since 1997, I can say that I've observed the transition to the opposition of a number of officials of the highest rank. The Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Chigir, the head of the National Bank Stanislav Bogdankevich, the Minister of Defense Pavel Kozlovsky, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Sannikov, and Interior Minister Yuri Zakharenko, and Vice Prime Minister Viktor Gonchar, and Vice-Speaker of the Supreme Soviet Gennady Karpenko, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Mikhail Marinich.

What did these people do when they went into opposition to Lukashenko? They immediately contacted other opposition structures. They participated in protest actions. They coordinated with other political groups, learned, for example, how to hold mass protests from those oppositionists who had already held them in the country before, tried to act together in the democratic movement. Viktor Babariko and Maria Kolesnikova did not do that.

We talked on Signal. I was in Warsaw, he was in Minsk. I realized that this man was absolutely not ready to go for any kind of cooperation with the opposition forces of the country. He immediately categorically refused to state that the only national symbols of Belarus are the white-red-white flag, the coat of arms "Pogonya", and that the only state language in the country should be the Belarusian language.

Babariko said that "this is an ambiguous issue", "I don't want to divide society", "I won't say that". Then he refused to express solidarity with political prisoners, who by that time were already in Belarusian prisons. I specifically asked him to express solidarity with Nikola Statkevich and Sergei Tikhanovsky, already arrested in Belarus. He said, "I will not support these people, let them support me."

In his numerous interviews, he constantly said that we "should have good neighborly relations with Russia," that we "have a 'union state' with this country." Actually, what one could expect from a man who worked for 20 years in Belgazprombank, i.e. in the Belarusian subsidiary of the Russian Gazprombank. After the five years he spent in prison, there was no transformation.

Maria Kolesnikova is also not the leader of the Belarusian opposition. She doesn't know the history of the Belarusian resistance, I don't think she knows the history of Belarus. Maria is a courageous woman, she went through prison, but she is a musician. Watch the video about the "DNA of love and freedom" that she "spread" through sewing uniforms for Belarusian security forces and Russian military.

So far I see a political neophyte, not a leader. Time will tell. By the way, Maria doesn't talk much about prison. Many female political prisoners talk about the dire conditions in which they were imprisoned. Judging by Maria's stories, her conditions were somewhat different. However, she spent five years in prison, she also underwent surgery in detention, which is very scary. But so far I can't speak about Maria Kolesnikova as a politician. Neither she nor Viktor Babariko can become leaders today and defend the national interests of the country in the most difficult time.

Evgeny Kiselev asked a question about Svetlana Tikhanovska and her attitude to the war in Ukraine. The editor-in-chief of Charter97.org recalled that the former presidential candidate also had problems with a clear position on the issue:

- Svetlana Tikhanovskaya for two years could not formulate whose side she was on. "Whose Crimea?" - this question she also could not answer for a long time. And how many times she appealed to Putin, calling him "wise" and urging him to pay his attention to the situation in Belarus. "Wise Moscow", "wise Putin". Watch the video, it was all there.

The 2020 revolution was truly popular. People came out and showed themselves as a European nation, Belarusians said they wanted freedom and democracy and independence for their country. Due to the fact that the real leaders of the revolution, who prepared it, were in prison, people like Babariko and Tikhanovskaya, who are unable to say whose Crimea is theirs, were on the wave.

Evgeny Kiselev asked whether the ambiguous position of Babariko and Tikhanovskaya could be related to the fact that they are under someone's control. Natallia Radzina gave several facts:

- In August 2025, we saw a movie that showed Svetlana Tikhanovskaya taking 15,000 euros from KGB Major General Pavlyuchenko. She then confirmed it. Is this not confirmation that she was controlled by the security services when the KGB took her to Lithuania and she recorded several videos - first from Belarus and then from Lithuania - where she urged the protesters to go home. Her entourage then tried to create the appearance that Svetlana Tihanovskaia was the president-elect and leader of the opposition. But the strategy they announced, holding rallies on Sundays, was aimed at draining the protest potential.

When it comes to Viktor Babariko, there are speculations that his son is being held hostage. However, I don't know how the answer to the question about Crimea will affect his son, who is in a Belarusian prison and Lukashenko is indifferent to the answer to this question. Perhaps these are some "greetings" to his friends in Moscow. Perhaps he would like to return to Russia, perhaps he has some capital there.

Luckily, the time of these people is passing. The eyes of the Belarusians have already been opened and they perfectly understand who is worth what.

Natallia Radzina said that the Belarusian opposition has real leaders:

- Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski came out. He gave a large number of interviews. Check them out. Everything is clear, the man immediately expressed himself: we are on the side of Ukraine, Belarus is interested in the Ukrainians winning, this is the only chance for Belarusians to return freedom and democracy.

The same was stated by the leaders of the civil campaign "European Belarus", who were released in September this year. Everything is clear and clear, although they spent the same five years in prison. However, it is clear to everyone who is an enemy and who is an ally. Because these people represent the real Belarusian opposition.