Several anonymous sources familiar with the matter have informed that the office of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is preparing to move its operations to the Polish capital Warsaw.
One of the sources told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) that the decision has been made, but it is not known when the move will take place and how many of the staff will accompany Tsikhanouskaya to Warsaw. One option is for part of the office to continue working in Vilnius.
Tsikhanouskaya’s advisor Denis Kuchynski did not confirm the move, but indicated that he was waiting for Lithuania’s decision on further ensuring security conditions for the opposition leader. He said that Tsikhanouskaya is currently being protected by the Government Security Service, and any further decisions will be made when the government’s decision on further security measures is known. Kuchynski added that the team would have liked to stay in Vilnius, but already in October, when the security level was lowered, they began to consider other options.
The Lithuanian government lowered the security level provided to Tsikhanouskaya on the 7th of October. Until then, the opposition leader’s security was the responsibility of the Government Security Service. This was justified by the results of a repeated risk assessment.
Immediately after that, Tsikhanouskaya’s office stopped receiving visitors in person.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė indicated that security measures had not been canceled, but had been adjusted, while Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that the situation was being exaggerated when several Lithuanian politicians criticized the changes.
On the 17th of October, the authorities temporarily restored the previous level of protection until a new security regime was fully established.
Tsikhanouskaya has been in Vilnius since August 2020, when she was forced to leave Belarus. Lithuania is one of the main supporters of the Belarusian democratic movement, but several politicians have questioned the costs of providing high-level security.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2771285/sources-tsikhanouskaya-preparing-to-move-office-from-vilnius-to-warsaw
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