Belarus should close border with Russia and start withdrawing Russian troops – Tsikhanouskaya

The video was posted on her official YouTube channel.

"There is chaos in Russia, which is increasingly resembling a civil war. The PMC controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin has challenged the official Russian government because it is dissatisfied with the fact that Russia is losing the war to Ukraine. The FSB has already opened a criminal case against Prigozhin, and in the news we see that Wagner's men have occupied Rostov and Voronezh," the politician said.

"The Russian dictatorship started the war against Ukraine, and now it has brought it into its home. This experience should be remembered by anyone who wants to start or support an aggressive war: war consumes everything around," Tikhanovska added.

"Lukashenko and Putin are trying to drag our Belarus into a war. They are covered by the Union State. They say: Russia is your ally. But this ally brings chaos, war, and crisis," continued Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

In this regard, she called for using the current situation to get rid of the Russian military presence in Belarus.

"I would like to urge Belarusian diplomats, military and security officials to remember that we, Belarusians, have our own national interests. Neither Putin nor Prigozhin are friends of Belarus, and we should not choose their side. Belarusians must defend their country. It is up to us to decide how this situation will affect Belarus,” she said.

She also addressed the Belarusian army.

"We cannot rely on fate and hope that Russia will leave Belarus alone. Now is the best chance to expel the Russian military from our country," said Tsikhanouskaya.

In addition, the opposition leader in exile said she had created an operational headquarters.   "I appointed Valery Sakhashchik as its head. We invite representatives of democratic structures, Kalinoŭski Regiment and Belarusian volunteers to participate. We are monitoring the situation. We will seek international support for our actions. Our faith in Belarusians is strong - we know that Belarusians will always choose Belarus," Tsikhanouskaya concluded.

For all the details of Prigozhin's armed rebellion against Putin, follow Espreso’s special text updates here.