The Speaker's Gone, But The Circus Remains

Instead of a "businesswoman," the CC will be represented by a Lukashenka official.

I watched the disgrace of the so-called "coordinating council" and the flight of its speaker Anzhalika Melnikava with irony. It was clear to me from the beginning that this talentless and fake project would fail. Even a year ago I wrote how ridiculous this structure is, which has no right to represent the democratic opposition of Belarus. Let me remind you that only 6,700 people out of 7 million Belarusian voters took part in the Internet elections of this pseudo-council. It was clear that this train was going to a dead end and the collision with reality was inevitable.

But some of the participants of the fake CC (except, perhaps, for a few deceived romantics) went there in the hope to get financial aid for their local projects. They were not interested in real work for the country and at least some results.

But expectations were not justified. Even earlier, a narrow group of people decided to monopolize and shift to themselves the distribution of huge material aid, measured in tens of millions of dollars and euros, which Western funds allocate to support democratic forces and civil society in Belarus. Where and how the money was distributed is unclear.

The names of this narrow circle are known: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Pavel Latushka, Franak Viachorka, Anzhalika Melnikava, Andrei Yahorau and others. Earlier in this incredible campaign was the still thoroughly disgraced Volha Kavalkova. They needed a screen in the form of the coordinating center and the "proto-parliament" to carry out this task.

In media there was information that the "coordinating council" significantly influenced the distribution of aid from the EU and US governments for Belarusians.

The pustule opened up with the disappearance of the speaker. Anzhalika Melnikava disappeared with 150 thousand euros, allocated by Western partners to her foundation for the activities of the CC and other NGOs.

Journalistic attempts to investigate Melnikava's escape revealed details of her luxurious life in Warsaw, expensive apartment, constant and multiple trips to Sri Lanka, Cuba and the Arab Emirates for vacations. She did not lose her ties with dictatorial Belarus: her husband regularly traveled there with their children, while in exotic countries she had meetings with mysterious Belarusian men of athletic build, who were banned from entering the European Union.

Some media voiced a version that Melnikava either worked for the Belarusian security services from the beginning, or was recruited recently. Anzhalika had nothing to do with the opposition in her life. She was pushed into "politics" and put at the head of the "coordinating council" by none other than Pavel Latushka, former minister, ambassador and long-term servant of Lukashenka's regime, now deputy of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in the "transition cabinet". I have no confidence in Latushka himself: the official worked for the dictator for 25 years, and after his dismissal in 2020, he freely left Belarus to join Tsikhanouskaya, who was taken to Lithuania by the KGB.

The trio - Tsikhanouskaya, Latushka, Melnikava - constantly posted photos with European leaders and celebrities. Now Tsikhanouskaya is silent, Latushka is confused in his testimony, and the image of the democratic opposition has been dealt a sensitive blow. Belarusians are disappointed and don't understand how these "leaders" differ from Lukashenka.

The Bible says, "do not make an idol for yourself". Only people inexperienced in politics and poorly aware of the country's history could consider these characters as leaders. The overwhelming majority of Belarusians have long ago opened their eyes to these pseudo-positivists. The negligible number of those who voted for the so-called "coordinating council" testified to the fact that they have no authority any more.

But the circus continues. Instead of "businesswoman" Melnikava, a former Lukashenka's regional official Artsiom Brukhan was actually appointed to represent the Belarusian opposition. His competitor was businessman Aliaksandr Knyrovich, who until 2021 was serving a sentence in a Belarusian colony on charges of bribery and non-payment of taxes. Both characters have never had anything to do with the Belarusian Resistance and opposition.

And now not Melnikava, but Brukhan will be photographed together with Tsikhanouskaya and Latushka, representing the "transitional authorities" and at the same time influencing the distribution of multimillion-dollar financial flows.

But the story has already turned into a farce. Belarusians laugh at the "transitional figures" no less than at Lukashenka.

Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of Charter97.org.

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