How Britain can really help Belarus’s embattled opposition

Belarus’s opposition movement is gathering momentum. This week – just days after meeting president Biden – the country’s opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in London to visit Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab. But what does this mean for ordinary Belarusians living under the rule of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the brutal dictator still in charge of the country? Do they finally have cause to be optimistic about the future?

As recently as April, Belarus’ democratic movement appeared to be running out of funding and impetus, with no clear strategy for ousting Lukashenka. Bolstered by a fearsome state security apparatus and Russian support, Lukashenka has unleashed a brutal crackdown on anyone who dares to challenge his 27-year reign.

Since last August’s falsified presidential elections sparked mass protests, the Belarusian KGB have arrested some 35,000 people. State television regularly broadcasts images of regime critics next to nooses. The apparent murder by hanging of Belarusian dissident Vital Shyshou in Kyiv earlier this week suggests these nooses are more than a rhetorical indulgence.