‘This is nonsense’: Belarus opposition leader Tikhanovskaya denies anti-Lukashenko politicians want to shut Russian border

Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has rejected claims that the opposition wants to close the frontier with Russia, rubbishing the idea that the country wishes to turn away from its eastern neighbor.

“People are saying that we want to shut down the borders with Russia,” she told Polish news portal Onet. "This is nonsense."

Tikhanovskaya also refused to discuss any Russia-specific policies, noting that all decisions would be made by a future elected president.

Despite encouragement from the West to turn against their long-time partner, opposition figures inside Belarus have clearly stated that the country will not be dictated to by any other government.

On Tuesday, speaking to the European Union, Tikhanovskaya explained that the Belarusian opposition is now the majority, calling the uprising a “peaceful revolution.”

“It is neither a pro-Russian nor an anti-Russian revolution. It is neither an anti-European Union nor a pro-European Union revolution. It is a democratic revolution. It is the striving of a nation to decide for itself,” she said.

On August 9, Belarus held a presidential election, the results of which are thought by many to have been falsified. Officially, incumbent President Lukashenko received 80.10 percent of the vote, with Tikhanovskaya receiving 10.12 percent. Following the results, members of the public took to the street for days of protests, demanding that the vote be nullified and a new, free, fair democratic election be held. Although mainly peaceful, the protesters were met with force by Belarusian police, and multiple people died.

Five days later, Tikhanovskaya announced the creation of an opposition Coordination Council to assist in the transition of power from Lukashenko.

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