“Of Course It Hurts Me”. Tsikhanouskaya Comments on Public Criticism from Her Husband

Reform.news Editorial Team · 4 November 2026, 19:53

https://reform.news/en/of-course-it-hurts-me-tsikhanouskaya-comments-on-public-criticism-from-her-husband/

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has commented in detail for the first time on public criticism from her husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski. In an interview with DW Belarus, she admitted that his remarks during livestreams hurt her and explained why she does not engage in a public dispute with him.

Asked about the fact that her husband is effectively challenging her legitimacy and that her silence on his statements has dragged on, Tsikhanouskaya stressed that her husband is an independent person who chooses his own style of communication and rhetoric.

“What the public needs to understand is that Siarhei Leanidavich is an independent person. He chooses the style of communication that suits him and the rhetoric he considers appropriate. In general, we have a rule in democratic structures: all criticism is important and necessary if it is constructive. This is especially true when there are alternative proposals that can be discussed — those are always welcome. But I cannot in any way support Siarhei’s demeaning style of communication. Unfortunately.

I cannot be held responsible for this because you cannot order him around, ask him to do something or tell him what to say. He is, after all, an adult and an independent person. He is a public figure, and his contribution to the history of a free and democratic Belarus cannot be erased or dismissed. He is a protest leader, and that is what he remains. But I would like him to direct the political and personal capital he has accumulated towards something constructive,” she said.

In her view, public disputes between representatives of the democratic forces benefit the Belarusian regime, as they allow it to exploit disagreements to discredit its opponents.

“I am not a supporter of public disputes because they only play into the regime’s hands. Yes, I hear his proposals about an office for the United Democratic Forces, about the media not doing their job properly, and he names specific people. And the regime eagerly seizes on this: ‘Look, things are clearly not going well for them, are they?’ I don’t know what word to use instead of ‘shitshow’ — it has already become so widely used.

And if — and this is precisely Siarhei’s goal — he wants to contribute to a free and democratic Belarus, to free elections and to enabling people to return, I know that these are his goals. He is not working for the regime. But sowing discord in democratic society does not serve our interests. And that makes me very upset and uncomfortable. I would like any disagreements, if there are any, to be resolved behind closed doors,” the politician said.

Tsikhanouskaya admitted that her husband’s criticism gets to her.

“You know, it hurts, but… I have to make a conscious effort to separate family matters and my husband from our political roles — both his and mine. And, of course, I was very surprised by Siarhei’s new rhetoric. I fought for him all these years, only to hear that apparently all I did for six years was carry a folder, and that I committed fraud in 2020… Those were not the feelings that motivated me to fight for him all these six years. Of course it hurts me, but… no ‘but’,” she said.

She suggested that Tsikhanouski may have chosen this style of communication in an attempt to address problems within the democratic community, but stressed that she did not want to view the situation as competition between them.

“Well, he has chosen this approach — he doesn’t like it when I call him ‘a person’ — Siarhei has chosen this style of communication and probably believes that this is his contribution to purging the democratic community. I don’t know, I really don’t know. I very much do not want to think of this as some kind of competition, because I understand the question: who was the accidental figure in 2020? Well, of course I was. I have always acknowledged that, and I don’t even understand why this needs to be challenged. But for him, it is important to show that he was not accidental. Of course he was not. He worked towards this deliberately and sacrificed himself.

But it is also wrong to devalue the work of other people who contributed, even if they were not as prominent or visible. A great deal of work was done behind the scenes. We must not dismiss the work of journalists since 2020, human rights defenders and civil society organisations. Everyone did their part, because there can be no leader without the support of society and all these organisations. And what we have achieved over the past six years — some may think we have achieved absolutely nothing — I see it somewhat differently: it has been the work of all of us,” the head of the United Transitional Cabinet said.

“I understand that I am a tool in this situation, and as long as I have this opportunity, I will work for a democratic Belarus and make sure that Belarus is not forgotten. Because attention to any issue or problem can actually be very short-lived.

This is not easy for me, I honestly admit that. I understand that society, as you say, has been waiting for answers because my silence has gone on for so long. But, again, he is not just another person criticising me. He is my husband, whatever our relationship may be. He is the father of my children, and it is very difficult for me to separate one thing from the other,” she added.

Asked whether the disagreements could be resolved, Tsikhanouskaya said she did not consider the situation a conflict within the democratic community.

“Well, there is no conflict on the part of democratic society, so to speak. We have tried to build institutions and structures in which everyone can participate and every voice can be heard. I understand that some people may refuse to recognise these structures. But they can create something of their own — an organisation, a community, even a YouTube channel — that will work towards change in Belarus. It should not sow discord or make insulting remarks about specific people or organisations, but instead put forward constructive proposals.

That is how things have always worked for us. We have the United Transitional Cabinet, where people with potentially very different views work together in different areas. If you feel capable of taking on a leadership role, if you believe you can bring people together around you and engage in constructive work, everyone will support that. But destructive behaviour is somewhat demoralising,” she said.

Tsikhanouskaya added that her team was monitoring how Belarusians were reacting to the situation.

“How can this situation be resolved, as you call it, this conflict? Well, there is no conflict on our side. We are being very careful and are not commenting on anything publicly. But what we are doing is, of course, monitoring how Belarusians are reacting to everything that is happening. Siarhei says that his weapon is words, and I absolutely agree with him. He has an outstanding command of them. If he were to use this weapon in the right direction, it would be wonderful. But, of course, that is for Siarhei to decide,” she concluded.