The Belarusian army must defend Belarus and Belarusians, not serve imperial ambitions. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said this in a statement marking another anniversary of the 1514 Battle of Orsha, in which the forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the army of the Muscovite state. According to Tsikhanouskaya, the victory also points to a centuries-old historical tradition of Belarusian military glory.
“For many years, we were told that Belarusian history began almost in the last century. Supposedly, before the Soviet Union or the Russian Empire, we had nothing.
But that is not true.
On September 8, 1514, near Orsha, the forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, commanded by Konstanty Ostrogski, defeated the Muscovite army. It was a truly great victory for Belarusians, Lithuanians, Poles and Ukrainians.
The whole of Europe learned about it. And today, more than 500 years later, we are once again restoring this page of our history.
This victory shows that Belarusians have their own statehood tradition. They have their own military history. They have their own victories and their own heroes — both historical and contemporary.
And Konstanty Ostrogski is one of them.
Interestingly, today he is considered one of their own by both Belarusians and Ukrainians. He was born in Volhynia, and his life was connected with the lands of present-day Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania.
And today, his figure has symbolic significance, especially in the context of the war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine.
When Russian troops moved toward Kyiv from Belarusian territory in 2022, many Belarusians supported Ukraine.
Some passed on information about the movement of Russian military equipment. Others stopped trains. And the bravest Belarusian volunteers took up arms and went to defend Ukraine, understanding that Ukraine’s victory would also open an opportunity for Belarus.
I know that many officers and soldiers in the current Belarusian army also stand on Ukraine’s side. They value our independence. They do not support the dictatorship. And they will not allow Belarus to be fully dragged into this criminal war.
The Belarusian army must defend Belarus and Belarusians, not serve foreign imperial ambitions.
Both Belarusians and Ukrainians deserve to live in peace and freedom.
I want both Belarusians and Ukrainians to live in peace. So that our children do not have to fight. So that they grow up in their own countries, know their history and decide for themselves what their future will be.
And it seems to me that September 8 is a good day to think about this once again. And simply remember: we have our own history that we can be proud of. And our own country, which we must protect.
Long live Belarus!” Tsikhanouskaya said.
Belarusians will also mark the anniversary of the Battle of Orsha today at Castle Square in Warsaw. The rally begins at 6:30 p.m.
