Sergei Tsikhanouski, an opposition blogger, challenged Alexander Lukashenko in 2020. Jailed on trumped-up charges, he survived five years in solitary confinement. Freed in 2025, over 50 kilograms lighter, yet unbroken, he speaks about the faith that sustained him, the shock of hugging children who barely recognized him, and why he would take the same path again. He urges the West to keep sanctions until every political prisoner is released and maps possible routes to change in Belarus - from internal collapse to shifts in Russia.
“I know for certain who we are up against: a criminal with neither honor, nor conscience”
VERIDICA: What gave you the psychological strength to endure five years in solitary confinement?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: I knew people were fighting for us, that we hadn’t been forgotten, that pressure on the regime was real and would sooner or later bring change. I believed in my wife and our supporters. I am also a Christian, and my faith helped me every day to endure the abuse, hatred, threats, and deprivation. In many ways, our 2020 protest was a fundamentally Christian story: people stood up against injustice and hypocrisy, against lies and violence.
VERIDICA: If you had known how your political activity in 2020 would end, would you have taken the same path?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: Yes. I thought a lot about this in prison. I did nothing illegal and was detained preemptively, so there is nothing for me to change. Without a personal example, there would have been no protest. People saw my case and took to the streets.
VERIDICA: How has your view of power and justice changed since your release?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: Now I know for certain, whereas before I sometimes doubted who we are up against: a criminal with neither honor nor conscience. He told me personally that politics is a dirty business and that what he did to all of us – unlawful imprisonment, fabricated criminal cases, the use of force and violence against the defenseless, and more – was exactly what we should have expected once we went into politics. My sense of justice hasn’t changed. As before, I demand justice.
“My daughter didn’t recognize me at all: in photos she knew a heavy, bearded man, but the one hugging her was a thin, clean-shaven man”
VERIDICA: After five years in isolation, what did you feel when you first hugged your children?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: My son is 15, and for five of those years he didn’t see me—and doubted he ever would. My daughter hadn’t seen me for more than half of her life; she’s nine now. When we met, none of us could hold back tears. My daughter didn’t recognize me at all: in photos she knew a heavy, bearded man, but the one hugging her was a thin, clean-shaven man. Belarus held presidential elections in 2010, 2015, and 2020. I sometimes joke that in 2010 Svetlana and I had a son, in 2015 a daughter, and in 2020 a revolution. There were also “so-called” elections in 2025. In 2025 I myself was born again, I found myself free with my family.
VERIDICA: You lost more than 50 kilograms. How are you taking care of your recovery now?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: I used to weigh 135 kg at 192 cm tall. Now I take vitamins and necessary medications, eat properly, and work out. I like seeing myself lean and wearing ultra-slim suits; I don’t want that to change. I run in the mornings and record videos from my workouts in different cities and countries - my supporters enjoy them just as much.
“The regime must be threatened with a new package of sanctions if it fails to release all political prisoners now”
VERIDICA: Which form of support for political prisoners – sanctions, diplomacy, or assistance to civil society – do you consider most effective from Western countries?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: All of these forms matter. Sanctions work, and thanks to them about 400 political prisoners have already been released. We are only now seeing the consequences of sanctions; they don’t work overnight—their impact becomes visible over time. The regime must be threatened with a new package of sanctions if it fails to release all political prisoners now.
VERIDICA: Do you have any specific requests of Western countries that you haven’t voiced publicly yet?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: Yes. I would like to present my ideas and proposals in person - to the U.S. administration and to European policymakers. I hope that happens soon.
VERIDICA: Has the strategy of the Belarusian democratic forces changed after your release? Do you feel that?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: I haven’t studied their strategy yet, either before or after my release. I’m confident that together we can now do more.
VERIDICA: Which scenario do you consider more likely: the fall of the Belarusian regime due to an internal crisis or Lukashenko’s death, or changes in Russia that spill over into Belarus?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: Both are plausible. But I also see other scenarios, and I’m already working to make them happen.
VERIDICA: What do you see as the most fatal international mistake regarding Belarus in recent years?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: Don’t take the bait again. No lifting of sanctions until the repression ends and all political prisoners are released. Since 1996 this has happened many times with Lukashenko. He’s acting the same as ever - he’s counting on outlasting you.
“I need a free, democratic Belarus”
VERIDICA: If you don’t become the figure who inspires Belarusians to new protests, what’s your plan then?
Sergei Tsikhanouski: All my life I’ve done what I love and believe in. I don’t “work” a single minute, I take joy in what I do. My faith and my intuition have never failed me. I just need information to build on; I need solid ground under my feet. I don’t need protests as such: I need a free, democratic Belarus.
And that’s exactly what Belarusians are striving for. I will inspire, but I will also be inspired by them. For goals and convictions like these, one must be ready to sacrifice, so that they can live. I don’t ask, “What will I do if it doesn’t work out?” I ask, “When will it happen, and what must I do now to bring that day closer?” And I answer that question every day – and take concrete steps already now.
