Sergiy Tikhonovsky accused Svita of receiving grants in his name

Public split and accusations of financial misconduct

A loud conflict has erupted within the Belarusian opposition. Sergiy Tikhonovsky, who was released from detention over a year ago, published harsh criticism directed at his wife, Svita Tikhonovskaya. In the West, she is traditionally regarded as the leader of the Belarusian opposition.

According to Sergiy, his wife used his image and reputation to obtain international grants and financial aid. In recent online broadcasts, he not only expressed dissatisfaction with Svita's behaviour but also criticised her closest allies.

"Technical candidate" and the role in the 2020 elections

Tikhonovsky detailed his position regarding his wife's participation in the 2020 presidential campaign. He emphasised that Svita did not have her own electoral base.

«Невже Світлана Георгіївна всі ці роки носила в папках наші знімки, щоб вибивати грантики у західних партнерів? Хто така Світлана Тихановська? Це був технічний кандидат, за якого проголосували всі білоруси, які виступали проти Лукашенка. Відсоток, відданий за Світлану Георгіївну, мізерно малий, бо її майже ніхто не знав. Знали лише те, що це дружина блогера, справжнього кандидата Сергія Тихановського, якого ЦВК не зареєстрував. Саме тому, вчинивши підлог і видавши мою ініціативну групу за свою, Світлана Георгіївна змогла зареєструватися кандидатом — її зареєстрували, бо вона не становила загрози режиму» (Did Svita Horiivna carry our photos in folders all these years to extract grants from Western partners? Who is Svita Tikhonovskaya? She was a technical candidate, for whom all Belarusians who stood against Lukashenko voted. The percentage cast for Svita Horiivna is minuscule, as almost nobody knew her. They only knew that she was the wife of a blogger, the real candidate Sergiy Tikhonovsky, whom the Central Election Commission did not register. That is why, by committing fraud and passing off my initiative group as her own, Svita Horiivna was able to register as a candidate — she was registered because she posed no threat to the regime), Tikhonovsky stated.

Reaction and current status

As of the publication of these accusations, Svita Tikhonovskaya is not commenting on the situation.

Media reports indicate that Sergiy Tikhonovsky is currently on US territory, where he is preparing to enrol in one of the American higher education institutions.