Belarusian political analyst Alina Kharysava has suspended her participation in the “European Choice” list in the Coordination Council and initiated an internal review of her actions following the broadcast of Without Cover, a program hosted by Raman Pratasevich. In the broadcast, the pro-government commentator showed a video in which Kharysava allegedly agreed to cooperate with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The program also featured screenshots of correspondence and audio recordings that Pratasevich presented as communications with “handlers.”
In response, Kharysava published an explanation on Facebook. According to her, the contact occurred about a year ago during a period of intense pressure from the KGB, when relatives were being detained and she herself was receiving threats. At the same time, she was undergoing treatment for depression. A person claiming to be an SBU officer spent several days persuading her to establish contact, presenting it as an effort to build ties between Ukraine and the Belarusian democratic forces.
“I was contacted by someone ‘from the SBU’ about a year ago. At that time, I was under enormous pressure from the KGB. My relatives were being detained, I was being threatened and constantly called. At the same time, I was experiencing suicidal thoughts, had been diagnosed with moderate depression, and was taking medication. Around the same period, I was hit by a car driven by a drunk driver… You can imagine the state I was in. I was in a very vulnerable position when the ‘SBU representative’ spent several days persuading me to get in touch, assuring me that it was intended to establish contacts between Ukraine and the Belarusian democratic forces. Because of those arguments, I agreed to communicate,” she wrote.
According to Kharysava, she requested verification and made it clear that she would not discuss sensitive topics until meeting the person in Ukraine and verifying their documents.
“Later, questions began to appear about the Office, about Siarhei, about relocation. I never once wrote anything beyond what was already public or what I had discussed on Euroradio broadcasts. When questions arose that had nothing to do with Ukraine, I said they had nothing to do with Ukraine. In most cases, I played dumb and ignored messages for days because I realized the situation was very strange,” she said.
She added that she eventually blocked the contact, but the person continued to write from new accounts and threatened her. Communication then ceased.
“I deleted the conversation for both parties, blocked the contact, but he kept writing from new accounts and calling many times a day — I never answered. After that, I blocked calls from unknown numbers, but he continued writing and threatening me. At that point, it became completely clear who I was dealing with, so the communication ended with those unread threats,” Kharysava said.
“I admit that it was foolish of me to record a video message expressing readiness to cooperate with the SBU while I was in that state. But I did not disclose a single word or a single fact. Propaganda is very good at making stories out of nothing. All it takes is a compelling narrative and dramatic presentation,” the political analyst added.
Kharysava said she is prepared to undergo a polygraph test and announced that she is suspending cooperation with all organizations while initiating a review of her conduct.
“I see this as the only way to prove that everything I am saying is absolutely true,” she added.
