Tikhanovskaya: Fate of Ukraine and Belarus interconnected

The fate of Belarus and its political prisoners rests on the outcome of the war in Ukraine, exiled Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has said.

"It's a pity to admit but, yes, the fate of Ukraine and the fate of Belarus are deeply interconnected," she said.

Ms Tikhanovskaya's husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment in December 2021, in a trial condemned as a sham.

"On the outcome of this war depends how long my husband will spend in jail - how long thousands of people will spend in jail," she said.

Belarusians viewed Ukrainians and Russians "as brothers and sisters", Ms Tikhanovskaya said, but they "don't want to be dragged into the past, into the times of Soviet Union".

Instead, they wanted to "be an independent country with our own culture, with our own language".

Ms Tikhanovskaya claimed victory in the 2020 Belarus presidential election but authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko remained in place, relying heavily on Russia's support in the aftermath of mass protests that swept the country following the election.

Russia has also used Belarus as a staging ground to invade Ukraine.

Find out more about the war in Ukraine.

Watch the full interview on Thursday, 10, and Friday, 11 March, on BBC World News or watch again on BBC iPlayer (UK only).