Nowadays, for Belarusians, Freedom Day is a forbidden national holiday, the anniversary of the establishment of the first national Belarusian state – the Belarusian People’s Republic (25 March 1918, Third Charter).
A state that, like ours, fell under the blows of Moscow-Bolshevik bayonets.
After the restoration of Independence in 1991, both we and the Belarusians once again found ourselves under the sights of Russian imperialism.
In our case, this resulted in over eleven years of war with Moscow, the occupation of Ukrainian territories, and hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Belarusians were captured by a creeping occupation, a hybrid war that began after Lukashenko came to power with the collapse of national statehood, the restriction of the civil rights of Belarusians, and the involvement of Belarusians in the so-called union state.
Lukashenko’s pseudo-elections in 2020 led to a national breakdown of the Belarusian nation, which Lukashenko and the Moscow occupiers harshly suppressed.
Up to a third of Belarusians were forced to leave their homeland and ended up in exile.
Currently, Belarus is used as a forward bridgehead for Russian imperialism in Europe.
Belarusians became actual hostages in a nuclear powder keg.
Belarusians are not celebrating their national holiday in a cheerful atmosphere.
Lukashenko’s colonial autocracy practically destroyed Belarusian statehood.
Putin’s lackey is consistently destroying all the chances of the revival of the Belarusian nation.
Another misfortune was added to this one.
Many people attribute the position of the Belarusian regime to all Belarusians.
By irrevocably imposing the principle of collective responsibility on all Belarusians, for example, for allowing their territory to be used to attack Ukraine.
I don’t think so.
I clearly distinguish between the anti-Belarusian regime of Lukashenko and Belarusians.
Unfortunately, it is our fault enough that for years official Ukraine likened Belarus to Lukashenko and did not see the oppressed Belarusian nation up close.
They traded with Lukashenko and were diplomatically friendly, causing a significant breach in the regime of international isolation.
In February 2020, when we held an international expert discussion panel in Kyiv on the topic of “Russia’s Hybrid War against Belarus,” where all experts unanimously asserted that the final absorption of Belarus by Russia would pose a mortal threat to Ukrainian statehood and open a new thousand-kilometre front, there was no reaction from the authorities.
Later, when we, together with the Belarusians, created the Belarusian Information Centre in July 2020, a month before the pseudo-presidential elections, and every week we “shouted” about the need to help Belarusians, the authorities remained silent again.
The authorities are still silent about the extermination of Belarusians in their country.
This, even though Belarusians died on the Maidan and are giving their lives on the front of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
We need to stop likening Lukashenko and Belarusians and accuse them of collective responsibility.
The most important thing is to realize that without a free and national Belarus, we, like the Baltic nations and Poles, cannot dream of stability and security in this part of Europe.
Moreover, without a strategic partnership with an independent and free Belarus, it is difficult to imagine building a security shield against Russian imperialism in the future.
For this, we need to stop passively watching how Russia and its puppet Lukashenko oppress Belarusians and start actively helping Belarusians in their national liberation struggle.
Unfortunately, this year, when Lukashenko once again staged a spectacle called self-election, Ukraine again watched passively.
They should have effectively supported the Belarusians, at least with observers from the Kalinovsky or Pohon regiments.
I am convinced that Ukraine should become the second home for Belarusians who temporarily left their homeland.
It is necessary to ensure the right of Belarusians to cultural development and the preservation of national and cultural identity.
Belarusian schools, churches, cultural and volunteer centres, and ultimately Belarusian units as the basis of the future liberation army – this is what the Ukrainian state and nation are obliged to do, both as gratitude to Belarusians for the blood sacrifice on the Maidan and during the Russian-Ukrainian war, and as a pragmatic element of realizing our national interests.
And no cooperation with Lukashenko. For us, his persona should be equivalent to Putin.
I believe that Belarusians, a great European nation with a heroic history, will regain their freedom.
And I believe that we will be beside you.
My Belarusian friends, I know that our Independence and our and your Freedom depend on your Will.
Our common Orsha is still ahead!
