Belarusian exiles report escalating threats against themselves and their families still residing in Belarus.
An estimated hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have left the country since the 2020 crackdown on protests following President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed reelection.
Journalist Tatsiana Ashurkevich, 26, faced this reality firsthand. Upon discovering her Minsk apartment sealed shut with construction foam, she suspected state involvement. She confronted an Instagram follower who’d repeatedly contacted her, initiating a conversation that quickly turned ominous.
The follower, after initially denying responsibility, subtly implied he could help in exchange for information about Belarusians fighting in Ukraine—a topic Ashurkevich had previously covered.
Ashurkevich immediately blocked the user.
This incident highlights a broader pattern. Human rights group Viasna reports tens of thousands of politically motivated arrests within Belarus over the past five years, with hundreds more facing persecution abroad.
The Lukashenko regime routinely accuses exiled critics of treason and collaboration with the West, justifying their targeting as a matter of national security.
Multiple individuals interviewed by the BBC described receiving veiled threats and offers of assistance contingent on cooperation. Anna Krasulina, 55, press secretary for exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, frequently receives such messages, resorting to flight mode to mitigate the harassment.
Both Krasulina and Tikhanovskaya have been sentenced in absentia to lengthy prison terms on charges including coup plotting and leading an extremist organization. Since Lukashenko’s 2022 decree enabling such trials, Viasna reports over 200 similar cases, with a record number in 2023.
This legal mechanism allows authorities to raid the homes of the accused and harass their relatives. Images and videos from opposition gatherings abroad are used to identify critics.
Fear for family members back in Belarus has led many exiles to withdraw from public events, according to Krasulina.
Several sources confirmed authorities’ visits to their relatives in Belarus, but declined on-the-record statements due to safety concerns.
These fears are validated by cases like that of Artem Lebedko, 39, imprisoned for “financing extremism” despite having no public activism record, solely due to his father’s exiled opposition activities.
Analyst Hanna Liubakova, also sentenced in absentia, describes the regime’s strategy as a deliberate effort to sever ties between exiles and those in Belarus, using lists of “extremists and terrorists” to intimidate.
The Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
Liubakova personally experienced the regime’s reach, with relatives receiving security service visits and her property seized. All interviewed believe the aim is to crush all opposition through relentless pressure.
Liubakova attributes the persecution to Lukashenko’s personal vendetta for the 2020 protests, emphasizing his desire to instill fear even among those abroad.
Russia has become a particularly dangerous haven for Belarusian exiles, with Minsk reporting 16 extraditions in 2022 alone, on charges typically levelled against Lukashenko’s critics.
Andrei Strizhak of the activist support group Bysol, likens the Belarusian security forces’ methods to the Soviet KGB, updated for the digital age. While the intimidation tactics might not always work, the broad reach increases the likelihood of securing cooperation from some individuals.
Strizhak characterizes the regime’s actions as a “war of attrition,” exhausting activists and forcing them to prioritize self-preservation. Despite this, he affirms their ongoing resilience, acknowledging the increasing strain.
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