In a defiant display of loyalty to his Russian ally, Belarus’ long-time ruler Alexander Lukashenko expressed no remorse for his country’s pivotal role in enabling the invasion of Ukraine. The controversial remarks came as Belarusians took to the polls in a presidential election widely decried as a “farce” designed to extend Lukashenko’s 31-year grip on power.
‘No Regrets’ Over Ukraine Invasion Aid
Speaking to international media on election day, the 68-year-old Lukashenko was unapologetic about allowing his “older brother” Vladimir Putin to use Belarus as a staging ground for Russia’s assault on Ukraine in February 2022. “I do not regret anything,” the autocrat declared during a marathon press conference stretching over four hours.
Belarus’ complicity in the conflict has deepened the country’s isolation on the world stage and strained its ties with the West. Yet Lukashenko remained defiant, dismissing any suggestion of seeking to mend fences. “I don’t give a damn about the West,” he retorted when asked about the recent release of some political prisoners, seen by analysts as a potential olive branch.
EU Slams ‘Sham’ Election
As Lukashenko dug in his heels, Western leaders were quick to denounce the legitimacy of the election that looks certain to hand him yet another term. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called it a “bitter day for all those who long for freedom and democracy,” while the EU’s foreign policy chief labeled the ballot “neither free nor fair.”
The people of Belarus had no choice. Instead of free and fair elections and a life without fear and arbitrariness, they experience oppression, repression and human rights violations on a daily basis.
– Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister
Exit polls showed Lukashenko cruising to victory with a claimed 87.6% of the vote. The EU’s Kaja Kallas vowed to maintain sanctions against the regime in response to the “sham election.”
Opposition Calls for Solidarity
Belarus’ embattled opposition, largely driven into exile by a ruthless crackdown following the disputed 2020 election, rallied supporters to demonstrate against the vote. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader who fled the country after running against Lukashenko two years ago, branded the election “a sham designed to tighten oppression.”
Tsikhanouskaya urged the Belarusian diaspora, estimated at up to half a million people, to stage “Lukashenko to the shredder” protests in cities worldwide. Social media videos showed demonstrators waving the traditional white-red-white Belarusian flag banned by Lukashenko in the 1990s.
Hundreds of Political Prisoners Remain
While Lukashenko has freed over 250 political prisoners since last July, an estimated 1,250 dissidents still languish behind bars. Among the most prominent is Maria Kolesnikova, a key leader of the 2020 protests, who has been held in strict isolation with limited contact with family or lawyers.
Lukashenko dismissed accusations that the recent prisoner releases were an attempt to appease the West. Some of his opponents, he claimed, had “chosen” incarceration or exile over submission.
Lukashenko’s Iron Fist Endures
As the former collective farm boss begins his fourth decade in power, speculation is rife over a potential successor, with rumors swirling of a hereditary transition. Yet Lukashenko, as combative as ever at 68, insisted that none of his three sons were angling for his throne.
A female candidate, Lukashenko suggested, was out of the question, showcasing a streak of misogyny as unwavering as his strongman persona. While hinting that a future leader may emerge from regional governors or other regime figures, the “last dictator in Europe” made clear he plans to lord over Belarus for the foreseeable future.
As Belarusians brace for an ever-tighter authoritarian chokehold and deeper entanglement in Putin’s reckless military adventures, the flicker of democratic hope kindled in 2020 feels increasingly distant. Yet the resilience and defiance of those still dreaming of a free Belarus, whether in hushed dissent at home or boisterous solidarity abroad, refuses to be snuffed out.
