Svetlana Tikhanovskaya addressed the Russians: "Do not believe the propaganda"

Tikhanovskaya noted that Belarus and Russia have always been good neighbors and friends, but now Russian propaganda "is trying to distort what is happening in Belarus as much as possible".

“I urge you not to succumb to the influence of this lie and to know the real reason why the Belarusian people are demanding Lukashenko’s resignation”, - Tikhanovskaya said in the Pul first telegram channel.

A copy of the politician's video message is also posted on the Dozhd TV channel's website.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya explained that Belarusian President Lukashenko approached the 2020 elections “with no chance of re-election” and the support of the people. The reason for this was the "long-term crisis in the economy" and the unwillingness of citizens to put up with the lack of basic rights and freedoms. To ensure his victory, Lukashenko chose the only available path: he began to block opposition candidates from participating in the elections. Many of them, including Tikhanovskaya's husband, ended up in prison, adding to the lists of political prisoners.

The reason for the mass rallies and protests in Belarus after August 9, according to Tikhanovskaya, was that Lukashenko falsified the election results. Alyaksandr Lukashenko is now able to hold on to power “only thanks to the incredibly brutal suppression of protesters”. According to her, due to the arbitrariness of the authorities in Belarus, over 10,000 people suffered and seven died.

The main demands of the protesters are to get Lukashenko to leave, to organize fair elections with the participation of all candidates, as well as to release political prisoners and to investigate crimes against the Belarusian people.

Tikhanovskaya urged Russians not to believe the propaganda media and politicians who are trying to spoil relations between fraternal peoples. She thanked all independent bloggers and employees of the Russian media, who objectively and honestly cover the protests in Belarus, oppose propaganda and do not allow "to turn our peoples against each other".

In the presidential elections, after her husband's arrest, Tikhanovskaya became the main opposition candidate. According to the CEC, she got 10% of the vote, while Lukashenko got 80%. However, the majority of the country's residents, who are aware of the scale of pro-government election fraud, are convinced that in fact the results are "mirror-like". Under pressure from the security forces and after receiving threats about an impending attempt on her life on August 11, Tikhanovskaya was forced to leave the country.