Belarus has released 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova, following an agreement with the United States to ease sanctions against the country.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski is also among those freed after discussions in Minsk with John Coale, the U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus.
The U.S. has reportedly agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key component in fertilizer and a significant export for Belarus, a close ally of Russia.
Mr. Coale stated, “As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted.”
Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’s president, is not recognised as the legitimate head of state by the European Union.
Ms. Kolesnikova had been imprisoned since 2020, often in isolation. Upon her release, she expressed “a feeling of unbelievable happiness” at being reunited with loved ones.
“It’s a huge happiness to see the first sunset of my freedom, such amazing beauty,” she stated.
“But also we think of those who are not yet free. I wait for the moment when we can all hug each other, when all are free.”
According to Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Ms. Kolesnikova, along with 113 other prisoners, were transferred to Ukraine.
In a statement released on Telegram, Ukraine indicated that after receiving necessary medical attention, the prisoners would be transported to Poland and Lithuania.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled Belarusian opposition leader, who was waiting outside the U.S. embassy in Vilnius, told the BBC that the decision to send them to Ukraine was unexpected and had been made by Lukashenko.
A small number of individuals, including Mr. Bialiatski, were transported to the Lithuanian capital.
After embracing Ms. Tikhanovskaya, Mr. Bialiatski said, “Thousands of people have been and continue to be imprisoned…so our struggle continues.”
Khomich said the first thing Kolesnikova said when they spoke was “thank you to the US administration, President Trump [and] to the Belarus government as well for leading and talking and having these negotiations”.
The deal represents a significant achievement for Mr. Lukashenko. The authoritarian leader is also expected to welcome the potential end to his international isolation.
Alongside the EU, the U.S. has not recognised Mr. Lukashenko as president following contested elections five years ago that triggered widespread protests, which were subsequently suppressed by law enforcement.
Hundreds were arrested at that time – including Ms. Kolesnikova – and political repression has persisted.
Western sanctions were intensified following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when troops entered via Belarus, and missiles were launched from its territory.
Mr. Coale was quoted by Belarusian state media confirming the immediate lifting of potash sanctions.
The U.S. envoy also stated he discussed Ukraine with Mr. Lukashenko, including the potential role Minsk could play in facilitating talks with Mr. Putin.
The effort to engage with Minsk reflects a notable shift in U.S. policy, potentially diverging from the European approach of sanctions and isolation.
Viktor Babaryko, a Belarusian opposition politician detained five years ago, was also released on Saturday, along with Marina Zolotova, editor-in-chief of the independent news site Tut.by.
Commenting on the U.S. deal with Belarus involving potash shipments in exchange for prisoner releases, Ms. Tikhanovskaya asserted that sanctions are “leverage to make dictators do something.”
She stated, “Lukashenko will not release people because he somehow became humane, he wants to sell people as expensive as possible.”
“Of course, it is the price. But we understand that American sanctions are rather flexible.”
“They can lift them tomorrow if some deals are not fulfilled.”
Julia Fenner was given a long jail term after being detained while entering Belarus in March 2024.
After his unexpected release, Sergei Tikhanovsky broke down describing his five years in solitary confinement
Sergei Tikhanovsky had planned to challenge Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 election, but was detained before the vote.
Some receive threatening messages or phone-calls, others say their relatives are visited by authorities back home.
After an election win which has been widely criticised as illegitimate, Alexander Lukashenko faced questions from the BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.