While the war in Ukraine rages on, another fight continues in its neighbour to the north, Belarus.  In 2020, its dictator Alexander Lukashenko faced massive protests in the streets and is widely seen by the international community to have lost the presidential election to an unlikely opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Tsikhanouskaya ran in the place of her husband Siarhei, who was arrested by the authorities in May 2020.  While Siarhei remains in prison in Belarus, Sviatlana, who was exiled almost immediately, leads the opposition from abroad. Her goal is to work with international allies to build the framework for a post-Lukashenko future for Belarus.

She was in Canada this week for high-level meetings with the Government of Canada, allied ambassadors and the Belarusian community. She joined StrategyCorp’s Garry Keller for a conversation on the challenges she faces, and what Canadians can do to support freedom and democracy in Belarus.