Ukraine’s fellow fighters next door
Belarus’s 2020 democratic uprising has served as both an example and as defense against Russian forces.
Maria Kolesnikova, one of Belarus' pro-democracy leaders, gestures a love symbol in 2020 after protests against pro-Russia authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
AP
One reason Ukraine has stood up well against Russia is the example set in neighboring Belarus. Two years ago this month, millions of pro-democracy Belarusians protested against a rigged election by a longtime dictator under Moscow’s thumb. After a brutal crackdown, many have built a digital underground movement, keeping alive the vision of a sovereign and democratic country – especially among the regime’s soldiers.
As the Russian military soon discovered last February after using Belarus as a bridgehead to invade northern Ukraine, that spirit of democratic resistance was as much a foe as any weapon.
The initial Russian assault on the capital, Kyiv, faltered in part because of acts of nonviolent sabotage inside Belarus by a society transformed by the 2020 democratic uprising.
Belarusian activists slowed down Russia’s military transport, says Svetlana Tichanovskaya, leader of the Belarusian democratic movement. They also gave information to Ukrainian armed forces about the bases from which Russian missiles were being fired.
In addition, an estimated 1,500 people from Belarus have volunteered as soldiers in Ukraine to fight Russia. Belarusians know that if Ukraine triumphs over Moscow, that will weaken Moscow’s control over their ruler, Alexander Lukashenko.
Belarusians have kept up a nonviolent fight for their own freedom even as the war in Ukraine rages on. Despite the harsh repression, for example, groups of mothers place their children’s toys around the streets as symbols of defiance. The struggle, says Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, is “defined by small acts of humanity and courage.”
One of her co-activists, Maria Kolesnikova – who is now in prison as one of more than 1,200 political prisoners – said last year that the movement operates at a deeper level than street protests. “The most important thing is that we never deviated from our principles and values – the fairness of the law, kindness, respect and love,” she told the British think tank Chatham House.
No wonder few experts see Russia using Belarus again as a major military launchpad. The mental defenses are too strong.